Deer tracks
by Hermionechan90
Summary: Harriet Potter has to flee from England better yet, she has to vanish from this World. An acquaintance has a solution for the problem but is she really ready for what this entails? Fem Harry Potter
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Beta'd by Black sparrow**

**Updated 04.07.2015**

'Shit, shit, shit? How the hell did they find me?' went through Harriet's head as she hastily moved through the crowd and in the direction of the entrance to the muggle world. She had only wanted to stock up on crystal foci and checkout some of the new Rune merchandise, both which couldn't be done via owl order and only fifteen minutes after her arrival in the wizarding alley an Auror search squad had already found her. Harriet was cursing her own stupidity, she should have been more careful and not lingered, but HOW had they found her so fast? With three quick steps she was out of the Leaky Cauldron and vanished into a side alley of Charring Cross Road where she disapparated.

'Well' she thought dryly the moment she was through her front door, her eyes fell on the bag in her hands, 'at least I got what I came for.'

Tried and frustrated Harriet sat down and thought back at her closest call yet, how the hell had they located her so fast in Diagon Alley? She had used some pretty heavy glamour charms and an overpowered notice-me-not. The minister must have finally lost his last marbles and allowed some fairly illegal monitoring charms on all public wizarding districts. Harriet sighed; well it looked like this was her last visit to England's Wizarding Conclave, from now on until her departure to the Elemental countries in a few weeks she would have to stay at home and in the muggle world.

'Fucking Ronald Weasley! I should have hightailed out of England as soon as it was confirmed that he had become Minister of Magic, but no I had to laugh myself silly on that day and continue my life as if nothing had happened. I really should have known that he wouldn't let this go,' Harriet thought ruefully while she looked at her whiskey glass.

She wasn't a drinker normally, but with all this shit happening she thought she deserved a glass. The burning liquid ran down her throat while she wistfully thought back to the time she was still considered a hero and not a dangerous public hazard that had to be reined in and used as a breeding machine.

After she had defeated Voldemort, the public outings and the masses crying out to her had been too much for the black haired witch; she had been grieving for all her fallen friends and had nearly drowned in her own depression until she had found solace in her deceased sister's greatest passion. Hermione had always loved Runes and after wallowing in guilt and sadness Harriet had wanted to feel somewhat closer to her and had picked up a Beginner's Rune Guide.

As it turned out, the black haired witch had an aptitude for it and so she had thrown herself into her studies with fervor while the wizarding world celebrated the end of the war. That traitorous bastard of a Weasel had enjoyed the attention and admiration a bit too much for her taste and had soon forgotten about their friends and even his own family who had sacrificed more than half of their members in the last battle.

Ron had turned into a somewhat well-known public figure after it became clear that Harriet wouldn't come to any of the celebrations, feasts and events held in her honor. The redhead had seized the opportunity and had secured himself a position in the ministry. Only a few weeks later he had started to work there without finishing his education while Harriet herself had continued her Rune studies, at first through self-study and later with some good private tutors.

The woman-who-conquered had passed her NEWT levels a year after the end of Voldemort and then had applied for a Rune Mastery, which had followed only three years later. During that time she had less and less contact with Ron, who had tried to drag her to a few ministry parties as his date. In the end she had reduced their letter correspondence to only quick notes for his birthday and Christmas. She couldn't believe what a ponce he had turned out to be.

So when his first marriage proposal via letter came, she had thought it was a joke, a poor one but definitely a joke after all she hadn't seen him in close to three years. Harriet had just inwardly shaken her head and torn the letter and ignored it until the next one sailed into her home only a week later with his reasoning for it. He wanted more power and with her as his trophy wife he would surely come out on top, at least that was what she could read between the lines. Unfortunately the scathing howler that she had sent him as an answer had only made him more persistent. In the end Harriet had put up some owl repelling wards and been done with it. She probably should have dealt with the problem in a different way than just ignore it. Because Ron had, after the first few months, done something devious, he had started to manipulate the public in his favor and against Harriet. The words, unstable, too powerful and turning dark had shown up more and more often in the articles of the Daily Prophet, until there were discontent and fearful whispers about her in every part of wizarding Britain. At that time Ron had stepped up and had publicly announced that he would marry her to keep an eye on her.

Harriet had speechlessly gaped at the audacity of the youngest Weasley. Needless to say the public was ecstatic and full of approval, Ron's stagnating career had sped up once more and suddenly he was candidate for minister. At that moment Harriet really, really should have fled Britain. In the space of two months after Ron had won the election he had changed the legal system so much that one was unable to leave Britain unless you had the approval of the ministry, furthermore he changed the marriage laws so that Harriet could be forced into one to keep her line intact, more than one pureblood witch was suddenly in a precarious position and was more or less married off to strangers.

At that moment some months ago she had finally understood the direness of her situation and had written a desperate plea for help to some of her Japanese Rune colleagues. If she wanted to escape Ron Weasley as completely as possible, she would have to leave Britain and even this world behind.

The reason for contacting her Japanese colleagues and not the ones in Europe, China, America or Australia was simple. The magic around Japan had always been slightly different than in the rest of the world. The reason for that was that the walls between dimensions were especially thin there. As a result Japan had some very interesting semi-permanent portals to other sister worlds of earth.

The Japanese wizarding folk had throughout the centuries explored the most stable one and had established relations in the so called Elemental countries. Harriet hoped that she could vanish into it and never ever have to deal with Ronald Weasley and the wizarding world again!

The head of the Japanese Rune guild had written her back nearly instantly and had some bittersweet news for her. She could become a member of the Elemental countries and with it receive the protection against Ronald Weasley and the British Wizarding Conclave that she so desperately needed, the only catch was that she would have to marry a native for that.

Harriet snorted, of course to escape one marriage she had to enter into another one; Fate seemed to be laughing at her once again. It had taken Harriet a week of nearly constant drunkenness to reluctantly agree to the offer. She told herself that under no circumstances she would allow Ronald Weasley the satisfaction of having her as wife. There was no way THAT was happening!

Mitzubi Kouji had assured her that they had sent out some of their best lawyers and that they would only accept the most advantageous proposal in her stead. In the meantime she had classes in Japanese. Surprisingly enough there was only a tiny difference in the pronunciation of the two languages. Additionally, she also had classes in manners and culture concerning the Elemental countries via magical mirror. Her tutor Nagawa-san was a strict thirty five year old woman from Mist who had married a wizard and followed him to Japan. She gave her a crash course in the do's and don'ts of her birthland as well as some tips concerning the local warrior classes, especially the ninjas. Furthermore her Japanese colleagues sent her all the books concerning the Elemental countries they could find.

What followed were months of waiting while the lawyers haggled over her marriage. They had negotiations open with Iwa, Kumo and Konoha. In the end the lawyers of the Nara clan in Konoha made the best offering and Mitzubi-san agreed in Harriet's stead.

And so the last Potter learned about her future husband some days after the confirmation via letter.

Nara Shikaku was with his forty three years only fifteen years older than Harriet. This fact alone relieved her immensely; in the wizarding world it sometimes happened that a seventeen year old would marry a seventy year old. From what Mitzubi-san wrote he was a distinguished war hero for his strategies in the last two ninja wars and the head of his clan. He had one son and heir, Shikamaru who was eighteen and also considered a war hero. The Nara clan was famous for their intelligence, laziness and medical knowledge and had a shadow manipulation bloodline. While Harriet still was somewhat apprehensive, quite a few of her fears had been alleviated through that. A clan that was famous for their intelligence and laziness would probably not feel the need to suppress her abilities or forbid her to use Runes and make her into the perfect housewife. The black haired witch enjoyed cooking for her few friends, be it magical or muggle and had no problem of doing it for her future husband and stepson, but she didn't want to be a typical barefoot and pregnant housewife who spent the rest of her life doing nothing else. This was also exactly the fate that she would have met if she had been forced to marry Ron.

In the next weeks Harriet began to seal all her belongings into scrolls, she had started to use those shortly after learning Kanji and Hiragana. The green eyed witch had found them a lot more practical for storing bigger things than the western storage Runes, wizards clearly weren't as practical as the culture she was now marrying into. She also put her house on the muggle real estate market, which she could do quite comfortably through the internet. The Potters had no wizarding properties left after the last three wars against Grindelwald and Voldemort and Grimmauld's place had been long since sold so there was one less headache for Harriet. In anticipation of her move to another dimension she also had slowly started to convert her fortune, be it galleons, muggle money or company shares into gold bars and precious stones, the only share she kept untouched was the one from WWW.

George who now lived in the states with Angelina and their kids was well aware of her plans to escape his brother's machinations. He had sent several howlers and other nasty surprises to his younger brother but nothing had made Ronald see reason. Harriet was thankful for the support she received from the surviving Weasley twin but also understood why he didn't visit his brother to force a confrontation.  
George had never truly recovered from the death of his family, especially the one of his twin brother. So instead of being miserable in England he had moved with his new wife to America where he built up WWW into an international business with several chain stores around the world. He hadn't set foot on British soil for more than seven years and he would probably never return.  
Not that he was the only Weasley to do that, both Charlie and Ginny had followed George's example and had left England sometime after the war. Charlie was pretty involved with the Dragon sanctuary in Romania while Ginny had turned into a globetrotter of sorts. No place held the wild red head's attention for long and sometimes Harriet didn't hear from the youngest Weasley up to a year, only to receive a book sized letter out of nowhere in which the red head gave a detailed account of all the interesting things she had seen. It also wasn't rare that Ginny's accounts of local culture and legends gave her a new inspiration for her own Rune work.

But back to the money situation, converting coins was easier and at the same time harder for Harriet than one would think. She was pretty thankful that she had moved all of her money out of Gringotts as soon as she had access to her family vault. While Harriet hadn't been banned from storing her gold at Gringotts, the betrayal of Griphook had made it very clear to the witch that the moment the goblins saw their chance they would betray her again. Furthermore she had this feeling that the next Goblin rebellion wasn't that far away as the wizard population liked to think.

In the time until her departure and while waiting for the results of the marriage negotiations, Harriet had used the few friends and acquaintances she had left in Britain. She had sent them to Gringotts whenever possible to convert a steady amount of galleons or muggle money into gold coins and bars or precious stones. With this slow conversion Harriet may have lost a percentage of her monetary wealth but it was a lot more discreet and didn't alert Gringotts or the ministry of her imminent departure.

To be honest it wouldn't have even bothered Harriet that much if she had to leave her fortune behind, the amount of money that her parents and godfather had left her was a very nice sum and made her wealthy but she could have lived even without it quite comfortably. Some years ago Harriet had published a few books concerning Runes under a Japanese nom de plume which raked in quite a bit of gold during the first few months of publishing and had been her most steady income since then. She had another two books finished since then but hadn't been able to publish them yet. Before she left for the Elementals she would hand them over to her Japanese publisher and give him instructions to convert her earnings into gold and precious stones and send it biannually to her new home, her WWW shares would collect interest in an account in the US in case she ever had to return to her birth dimension.

On the other hand it was also this fortune that allowed her such a rapid entrance into the Elemental countries. Apparently the war torn lands there desperately needed every penny to rebuild their homes and that fast. This desperation also allowed her lawyers to push through that only forty percent of her liquid monetary assets would go to the Nara clan as dowry, which frankly was a miracle in comparison to the European wizarding world where nothing less than eighty five percent was accepted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the days before Harriet's departure, her few magical and muggle friends visited her and wished her well in her new life. Harriet had with a heavy heart told her magical contacts that she wouldn't keep contact, at least not for the first five or so years after leaving. She wouldn't risk putting them into danger like that. She didn't even want to think about what Ronald would do if he found out that somebody had a way to contact her, due to this fear she also hadn't told them where she was going. Her muggle neighbors and acquaintances thought that she was moving to America and Harriet had mixed some forget me potion into the cookies she had distributed in the neighborhood; in a few days she would only be a distinct memory in their minds. She wasn't going to lie, it hurt to leave all those people behind knowing that she probably would never see them again but she steeled her heart, this was her life damn it, and no pompous Weasley was going to dictate it!

After closing up the house and vanishing the magical copy of the key Harriet breathed in deeply before she apparated slightly outside the proximity wards that ran along the coast. It would take a lot of power to break through the enchantments, shake off the interwoven tracking charms and apparate onto the other side of the channel. One last glance behind her at the land of her birth let Harriet smile; she really wouldn't miss the rain and cold weather.

'Fire country here I come!' was her last thought before she powered through the wards and set off the alarms throughout the ministry.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took the responding squad only four minutes to arrive at the scene but by then Harriet had already reached her third apparition point and was powering up to jump through six more before she could land at the apparition point in Turkey where she would receive the illegal portkey to Japan. In the twenty minutes it took the British Wizards to confirm that it was Harriet Potter who had powered through the wards, said black haired witch had already arrived in Akita, where the main seat of the Japanese Rune guild was. Her colleagues and friends greeted her with smiles and congratulations before they showed her to a specifically warded guestroom.

Harriet would spend the next few days here while she finished the last of her personal business and prepared herself for her new life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Beta'd by Black Sparrrow**

**Harriet Interlude**

The last Potter found her journey into this new world and through the Elemental countries … interesting.

Well okay that was probably not the right word for her state of mind, she found the scenery and people around her fascinating and compelling but she was also feeling agitated and uncomfortable, not only because her magical core was itching but also because she was nervous of what was going to happen to her, after all she was very nearly completely alone in this new environment, the closest wizard of whom she knew was in Takigakure to finish his thesis.

During the first day after arriving through the portal the black haired witch had something similar to a jet lag. She felt tired, slightly nauseous and her senses were off because of the magical pressure change she had been exposed to while walking through the portal. Her colleagues had assured her that this was completely normal. Kouji-san and a few of his colleagues had accompanied her and had led her to the village that was situated at the slope of the mountain in which the gateway between the worlds was fixated. It was there that she would meet up with the escort that had been hired by her future husband.

The five magic users had spent the night in an upscale Inn and Kouji-san gave her a few last minute instructions concerning shinobi in general. Additionally, he advised her to lock the size of her luggage that she would be using during the journey into its real size. This would not only help her to avoid attracting attention from uninformed outsiders but also prevent damage to her ability to use magic. Her magical core would need at least three days to adjust better to its new surroundings and the wild chakra in the grounds. Having to activate the seals to access her belongings would just strain her magical core needlessly no matter how minimal the drainage normally was. Most importantly the Japanese wizards had warned her from using her powers in front of the people of the Elemental countries too often, her family and those in-the-know excluded.

As luggage Harriet had five chests that were filled to the brink with sealing scrolls that contained everything from her notes to her monetary funds and two wizard trunks that contained her clothes. After the talk with Kouji-san Harriet decided to leave the trunk that contained the traditional Elemental country clothing aka kimono, haoris etc. unsealed so that she would have access to them during the journey while the second one was shrunken down to the size of a small bedside table.

XXXXXX

On the next morning Harriet was introduced to a group of four ninja, they were the team that would be escorting her to Konoha. The team leader Jounin Mimura Hamaki was a dark brown haired man with a beard that was around two heads taller than her. Harriet had already noticed that the Elemental citizens were closer to Westerners in size instead of matching their Asian counterparts. Behind the leader stood a man, this time with shoulder length black hair that was introduced as Jounin Mokume Kunugi, a woman with short hair going by Chunin Inaho and the last ninja was another male called Chunin Gennai, whose head was covered with a bandana. All four of them had a polite but professional distant air around them and after Gennai and Mokume had stored her luggage in the carriage they had brought along they waited patiently while Harriet said her goodbyes to her former colleagues.

The black haired witch won't deny that the moment the carriage door was closed behind her she felt trapped and alone. The certainty that she was about to be married off to a man she had learned of only through third hand knowledge made her more than a bit uneasy. She felt a lot like she was back in her eleven year old body, only this time she didn't have anything like magic to look forward to. In the same moment that thought went through her head Harriet berated herself mentally, there was no reason to cry over this situation, she had agreed to this and she would make the best out of the situation and that included getting along with her future husband and family.

Absentmindedly Harriet noted that the carriage was also not a traditional Japanese one, it reminded her more of the medieval carriages of central Europe. The villages they were passing for the first few hours also looked more Western style than Asian but the group didn't stop in any of those and Harriet couldn't investigate closer. After the second hour Harriet fell in a nearly meditative trance while the landscape slowly crawled by, her escorts were surrounding the wagon in a loose circle with Gennai leading the horses and the wizarding war veteran allowed herself to relax her guard minimally to give her slightly enhanced senses a break.

Around lunchtime the party stopped and Harriet watched fascinated as the two Chunin set up a campfire in practiced ease while one Jounin stood guard and the other vanished into the woods. Within twenty minutes said man had returned with some rabbits to cook over the fire.

"Potteru-Blacku-hime?"

Harriet looked up while she slightly winced at the butchering of her name and looked at the only other woman in their group with a questioning gaze.

"May I ask why you are travelling without aids or your staff?" the Chunin asked.

When she had learned that her temporary team was escorting the bride of a clan head to Konoha Inaho had expected a long caravan of people and quite a few carts with dowry. Instead there was a lone woman whose luggage fit on top of the carriage, and while the black haired female in front of her clearly had the bearing of a noble, the lacking of the rest as well as well as no sign of the typical obnoxious behavior had troubled the Chunin during the last few hours.

"Are you aware of why you are escorting me to Konoha?"

"You are the bride-to-be for the Nara clan head and there is a slight risk that a fraction of your old home would like to interfere," the kunoichi answered.

That was also the reason why they had to take the slow way and brought the specifically sealed horse carriage from Konoha; during an attack the hime would be significantly safer inside of it than a normal one.

Harriet's mouth slightly twitched upwards while she watched the younger woman for a moment before saying, "I had some very loyal servants during my youth, but they were killed during the civil war in my homeland… afterwards I didn't have the heart to hire new ones. I have been living on my own for close to ten years until I had to flee."

The males around them continued to work but Harriet was certain that all of them had listened to what she had to say.

"So you won't need me to attend you?" the hired assassin asked quite bluntly, this was her biggest worry after she had realized that the foreign hime didn't have a female attendant.

Behind the kunoichi Harriet could see the team leader grimace, the question had been more than slightly rude and while she herself found it amusing she was also sure that another noble woman in her position would have taken offense to it.

"No Inaho-san, I'm more than capable to do things on my own," Harriet's amusement must have been audible because Mimura's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"May I ask why two Jounin and two Chunin are escorting me? From what I learned from your culture I was expecting a Jounin with a Genin team or a Chunin team."

It was Mimura that answered her this time, "It's because you will be the wife of a clan head of Konoha. There is always a chance that somebody wishes to run interference and with the additional threat from your homeland your fiancé decided to not take any risks."

Harriet nodded in understanding; that made sense.

After lunch the five continued their journey and slowly but surely Harriet started to recognize a more Asian influence in the villages they passed. The landscape started to change from the heavy wooded area they had started out in into a more cleared up one with fields that stretched out on both sides of the road.

Shortly before it became too dark to safely travel the group arrived in a town.

The black haired witch couldn't help but compare the village that she had started out in and the one they were now staying in, it was clearly more Asian in style and had a range of modern conveniences not available in the village bellow the portal. The Inn they were staying in had in-house springs and it was here that Harriet learned to appreciate this part of the Elemental countries culture. Inaho had joined her to be in reaching distance should something happen. Both women enjoyed the hot water and the female Chunin was willingly enough to answer Harriet's curiosity concerning Konoha and also her future husband.

"I have never worked with him personally Harrietu-hime but from what I know from general gossip Shikaku-sama is an honorable man, very relaxed and always trying to avoid additional work whenever possible… but most Nara clan members are like this. I do know his son a bit better; Shikamaru is a brilliant strategist and also very laid back. To be honest the Nara Clan as a whole has a very good reputation, in my opinion you could have done a lot worse with this arranged marriage, I have never heard of a member of the Nara mistreating their spouses."

Harriet nodded at this, Inaho was clearly telling the truth and so the black haired witch felt some of her trepidation leave her.

"By the way Inaho-san, please call me Midoriko, I have decided to go by this name from now on to fit in better."

"With pleasure Midoriko-hime, may I suggest that we leave the spring now? Dinner will be served soon."

With a quick agreement Harriet, now Midoriko followed the Chunin out of the hot water.

XXXXXX

In the following days the Konoha ninja quickly warmed up to her, Midoriko could tell that they were used to dealing with a completely different sort of princess and were enjoying her atypical behavior. The black haired witch caught Gennai turning red and sending her shy glances more than once, especially when she smiled, the poor shinobi had a crush on her. Not that it mattered really, after all Midoriko would marry another man in a few days but she couldn't help but feel somewhat wistful, falling in love with someone had never been high on her to do list until the moment she couldn't do it anymore, inside Midoriko felt a deep longing for something meaningful. Maybe, just maybe she would be able to fall in love with her husband because no matter what Midoriko was determined to make this marriage work.

All in all the trip took eight days altogether, by that time Midoriko's core had finally adjusted and in the last few days she was practicing small control exercises like wandlessly drying her hair or summoning small objects into her hands. Midoriko took extra care to do this when she was alone in the bathroom to avoid attracting attention from her escorts.

When they finally arrived in Konoha Midoriko couldn't help but gape at the village that was in the middle of rebuilding itself. The giant gaping hole in the earth was nearly completely covered with new buildings and trees were sprouting everywhere, between the buildings and even on them. After some waiting time at the gate Harriet had the opportunity to watch the people of her new home, they were bustling everywhere and the atmosphere was infectious.

Midoriko felt herself becoming nervous but also strangely giddy, only minutes separated her from her new life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Beta'd by Black Sparrow**

**Shikaku Interlude**

Shikaku read once more through the missive he had received from Naguchi-san, the head negotiator of the Nara clan and sighed, so it was happening after all.

The stand in for the foreign hime had agreed to the proposal and had signed the preliminary documents. In a few months his bride would arrive in Konoha and replenish the painfully low monetary reserves of the Nara clan. This war while necessary had hit them hard. The only positive thing on the whole situation was that the other hidden villages weren't any better off than them, at least concerning manpower. Shikaku sighed again before he looked up and at the sliding door to the newly repaired main house; he had noticed Shikamaru walking around for quite some time since he had returned home. His son's gait was a step quicker than normal which made him curious, though the fact alone that he was moving willingly told Shikaku that something was bothering him. Shikaku was considering what could have his son in such a tizzy but decided against approaching Shikamaru, his son would come to him if he needed advice or help.

Just in that moment said young adult walked through the door before he sat across his father and started to set the shogi board without looking up to meet his clan head's eyes. Mentally Shikaku shrugged and prepared himself to wait, Shikamaru's poker face had gotten good throughout the last few years and he couldn't reliably predict anymore how long it would take until his son spoke up.

They were on their fifth and sixth move when Shikamaru finally asked, "Keisuke-san told me we are going to have an arranged marriage to help the money situation along... for who?" the Nara heir grumbled at the last part while he checked and rejected the board without looking up.

'Oho,' Shikaku thought amused, so that was the reason for Shikamaru's agitation; his son had concluded that he was the one who was going to have to marry. Shikaku smiled inwardly while he took in Shikamaru's frustrated but resigned body posture, he had grown up a lot since the chunin exams six years ago. Shikamaru definitely didn't feel ready for a marriage, arranged or not but he was now mature enough to accept it for the good of the clan.

So the clan head sighed and said wryly, "Me," while he moved his silver general.

Shikamaru's head snapped up looking astonished. "You? … Why?"

Shikaku knew that Shikamaru asked, 'Why you and not me?' but he chose to interpret the question differently. "She brings a lot of capital with her and her lawyers were adamant that she marries into the main line and I am without a wife," Shikaku explained while he took another stone from his son.

Shikamaru, whose shoulders sagged down a bit, frowned at his father's not-answer before he sighed, looked away and rubbed the back of his head. "… thanks dad."

Shikaku smiled wryly before he said, "She is twenty eight, and as much as I would like to get out of this troublesome situation I don't think you are ready for a marriage. Furthermore, she would be ten years older than you and the additional gossip would just be too troublesome."

"Twenty eight?" Shikamaru frowned. "What's wrong with her?"

Shikaku sighed, well it looked like his son still had to learn how to not jump to conclusions so fast. "Nothing Shikamaru, apparently she was quite comfortable with her life until she had to flee her land because the people were starting to fear her abilities and tried to force her into a marriage she would have no say in and would be used just as a breeding stock."

"So she is marrying to escape a marriage?" Shikamaru asked slightly disbelieving.

"Her lawyers and negotiators are very, very good. She will have control over more than half of her own fortune, even after the marriage and they have put in some clauses so that I could never force her into anything that she didn't want herself."

"So you are the lesser of the two evils?" asked Shikamaru in a distinctively amused voice.

Of course his son would find that funny now that he was sure that it wasn't him that had to marry, traitorous brat that he was, thought Shikaku fondly while he said blandly, "If you want to think so."

Shikamaru just nodded and took his father's knight and then smirked. "Well then, congratulations."

"Brat… Checkmate," came from the Nara clan head.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed.

And with that the two Nara's didn't approach the topic any further until a week before the foreign hime arrived in Konoha. Yoshino's old room had been painted fresh in anticipation of his second wife and he had informed the Hokage and the T&amp;I division of the arranged marriage three months before. The civilian hime would only be questioned subtly sometime in the first few weeks because the division trusted him to pick up on any suspicious behavior. Tsunade–sama had looked grim but sighed in understanding; she herself was scrambling along with her financial advisors to fill up Konoha's treasury once more. It wasn't as bad as it could have been but that didn't mean that the situation wasn't dire enough. Well at least they could be sure that none of the other villages would use their weak financial state as an opportunity to attack, the relations were too good at the moment and the other villages also had enough problems of their own to even consider starting another war.

Shikaku sighed for what had to be the hundredth time that day, the hime with the unpronounceable name would arrive in less than half an hour and he was close to outright praying to the gods to send him somebody with who he could get along. His teammates had taken him aside three days ago and they had gotten so utterly drunk that he and Inoichi had arrived late to the budget meeting that had been scheduled for three in the afternoon. Their other colleagues had kindly turned a blind eye on their state while Tsunade-sama had sent them a glare but had refrained from saying anything and had mercifully kept the meeting as short as possible. Afterwards before Inoichi and he could escape the room she had complained to them about not having been invited before she had taken care of their hangovers and sent them along like unruly children.

Shikaku smiled wryly, they had gotten away pretty unscathed for turning up still drunk to a meeting with the Hokage.

Shikaku sent a glance to his son beside him who was brooding over a shogi move and his smile widened, even if Shikamaru didn't say anything out loud about it, the clan head knew that his son was pretty grateful for not being forced into a marriage and was now giving silent support to Shikaku. Movements at the front gate let Shikaku look up; it seemed as if it was time. With an unhurried move he stood up, sensing that Shikamaru was right by his side and was slowly making his way closer to the travel carriage that just came to a halt.

**Shikamaru Interlude**

Shikamaru stood beside his father when the carriage arrived at the clan grounds, he sighed once more before they made their way over. His movements froze slightly and his eyes widened when the carriage opened and a stunning woman was helped outside by one of the Jounin that had accompanied her. There was noway denying it, she was gorgeous plain and simple. The woman had long nearly floor length black hair, milky white skin in a skin tone that he had never seen before and didn't make her look like a ghost and the most stunning green eyes that he had ever seen. Her exotic face structure reminded him a bit of the merchants of the north but unlike their more robust stature and bigger bones she looked decidedly more delicate. Her pearl colored travel haori only reinforced the picture of fragileness and beauty. It looked like his father had had been lucky at least in the looks department.

The two Nara's watched as she politely thanked the ninja that had escorted her, drawing blushes and smiles from nearly everyone before she gave a slow glance around and her eyes landed on him and his father. Shikaku lazily started to move again and walked over to his bride, to introduce himself and his son that had followed two steps behind him.

The foreign princess bowed before she said, "Shikaku-sama, Shikamaru-sama. My name is Potter-Black Harriet but please call me Midoriko for the sake of convenience."

"Midoriko-hime, you don't need to be so formal," Shikaku assured her.

"Troublesome, Shikamaru is okay, no suffix," Shikamaru said in a slightly bored but not cold voice.

"Then Midoriko is fine as well." she smiled and bowed once more, this time not so formal and stiff.

"I take your staff and your belongings will arrive in the next few days," Shikaku commented the lone carriage behind them.

At this Midoriko looked at first confused before she smiled impishly up at the nearly two heads taller man and answered his unasked question, "I haven't needed servants for a very long time Shikaku-san and I'm a Rune master. I think the equivalent is Fuinjutsu master here, my belongings are sealed away."

At this both Naras looked closer at the petite woman in front of them and raised nearly simultaneously their eyebrow, to which Midoriko had to suppress a giddy giggle. Her new husband and stepson seemed to be very easygoing, those rumors about the Nara laziness weren't exaggerated and apparently neither was their intellect. Midoriko could practically SEE the frightening intelligence behind their eyes.

"A Fuinjutsu master. Interesting," came the comment from her fiancé while he walked closer to the carriage, his son only murmured troublesome and Midoriko got the feeling that it was his favorite word.

Both Naras helped her move the chests and boxes from the top of the carriage, before Midoriko removed a small travel satchel from the inside. When nothing was left inside the vehicle, a Nara of the branch side moved it and the horses out of the clan compound to return it to the local travel agency.

Before either of the Nara's could offer their assistance in carrying the luggage, Midoriko started to touch each of the medium sized chests and boxes which seemed to shrink them until they fitted comfortably into her satchel.

Shikaku now had both eyebrows up. "Interesting," he murmured, his mind was already working through this new puzzle and the possible benefits for his clan and Konoha.

He then moved to her side and carefully put a hand on her left shoulder blade. Midoriko stiffened at first, but then relaxed into the touch and let herself be guided into the house in front of them. Shikamaru followed them with his hands crossed behind his head.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Beta'd by Black Sparrow**

**Shikaku Interlude**

After entering the main house Shikaku gave Midoriko a quick tour through the rooms on ground level before he led her into the living room once more to discuss what would happen next. Shikamaru had wisely vanished into his room and was unlikely to return without being specifically called.

"Midoriko-san there are two ways we can finalize this marriage, either we both sign the marriage certificate now and have it filed today or you could move into the rooms on the far side of the house until we have the time to arrange a wedding ceremony," Shikaku said carefully.

He had been relatively sure that a civilian bride would choose the latter option but now that he had met Midoriko in person, this possibility seemed to shrink with every moment that passed.

Midoriko smiled warmly at him before she said, "Shikaku-san I hope you don't take this as an insult but to be honest I would prefer the first option, a wedding as much as I am flattered isn't needed. We have both entered into this arrangement knowing that this was a matter of convenience and I feel that it isn't appropriate to delay it in any form." 'and I really, really have to be married to prevent any interference from the wizarding world should the idiots in Britain somehow find my trail.'

Not that she thought it was very likely for that to happen they were too incompetent to think outside the box but Midoriko had learned that nothing was impossible and Lady Luck normally had it out for her.

Shikaku let himself smile at that, it seemed as if Lady Luck was on his side, not only was his wife-to-be exceptionally beautiful, she was also practical and a realist, a true rarity in civilians. The living situation would not turn into a nightmare he had feared deep down in his mind.

"Shikaku-san, because the traditions of Fire country are so different from my own homeland I don't know what will be expected from me, could you please clarify?" Midoriko said in a slightly hesitant voice.

She had read and learned about the culture but there had been nothing specific to her situation and Midoriko was feeling out of her depth.

"As you know I am clan head and as my wife you will share some of the official duties with me. You will be expected to know the laws of Konoha and especially the clan laws, duties and rules. You will have to accompany me to official events. Should something happen to me and Shikamaru is not available you will also have to act as substitute at clan meetings as well as in the council. Don't worry nobody expects you to know everything right from the start. … and because of my advisory position in Konoha the possibility of me being away longer than a few days for the next year or two is very small, so you will have enough time to learn everything and become comfortable in your new position," the last part was said reassuringly.

Shikaku took in her reaction to his answer, Midoriko's face showed at first worry before it became determined and slightly calculative. At this Shikaku made a note to slip in some subtle intelligence tests into their interactions in the following weeks, with some luck Midoriko would be suitable to take on more responsibilities than the minimum he had agreed on with his cousins. They had after all anticipated a normal, spoiled civilian princess with some competent staff and advisors. Realizing now that it was her that had read the situation in her homeland correctly and had initiated the talks let Shikaku recalculate the clan's options. Another glance at the beautiful and refreshing unconventional woman beside him let Shikaku decide to risk being seen as inappropriate by his new wife. He took her hand into his before turning it slightly and leading it to his mouth where he kissed her pulse point.

Midoriko felt her blood rush to her face and her breathing become faster, Shikaku was a good looking man even with the scars on his face, he was trim, well muscled and there was not one ounce of fat too much as far as she could see. She had dreaded the fact that she didn't know the face or personality of her future husband when she agreed to the deal but there hadn't been time to make further enquiries. Now that she was in Konoha she knew that she was lucky, very lucky if this small gesture was a taste of what was coming. Midoriko had already decided back in Britain that she would try to make this marriage work no matter his personality and looks after all she HAD agreed to this marriage even if it had been under pressure. That her husband was easy on the eyes and more than accommodating only sweetened the deal for her.

Shikaku took in the blush and accelerated pulse of his bride with satisfaction, she didn't seem to be bothered or shocked by his forward behavior and he couldn't help but hope that this marriage was going to be as enjoyable as her reaction promised.

Even Yoshino, who he had known for some time before they were forced to marry each other had not reacted so favorably in the beginning, instead she had stubbornly rejected him for the first few months of their marriage. Midoriko was so different then his ex wife, she was soft spoken and calm where Yoshino had been loud and brash but it would have to be seen if that was her true character or only a front.

Still slightly flushed Midoriko cleared her voice before she asked, "And what about children? I mean you already have an heir but do you want more?"

At that question Shikaku stilled, his mind racing, he had hoped for more children with Yoshino but she had refused right from the beginning… but was it a good idea to have more? He was after all already forty three and possible children would be around twenty years younger than Shikamaru. They would probably even grow up with their nieces and nephews as playmates. On the other hand having more children could be beneficial as cold as it sounded and the clan needed more members after the disastrous war, the Nara clan had taken quite a beating, nearly sixty percent of their shinobi head died, leaving besides the few surviving Chunin and Jounin only the old, the very young and the civilians behind.

"That depends, do you want any?" Shikaku decided to counter, he was curious what her reaction would be, for the moment he had given up to try and predict Midoriko's behavior until he knew her better.

Midoriko fiddled with her hands before she stilled and looked him straight into the eyes. "Yes, yes I would like to have children, Shikaku-san."

Shikaku just nodded at that before he smiled and said, "I don't have a problem with that."

Returning his smile warmly, Midoriko moved a bit closer and pressed her hand onto his thigh in replication of his earlier actions which provoked a smile from Shikaku. The Nara clan head then reluctantly stood up from his position and walked over to the cupboard to remove the official document that he had stored there just in case. He presented it to Midoriko who quickly read through it and signed before handing it over to Shikaku. A quick glance was sent to the small print before he too signed beside his new wife. After he had finished signing and had put it on the table he turned to her and slowly reached out to stroke a strand of hair out of her face, Midoriko let him and even tilted her face in his direction. Shikaku took this as sign of approval and moved his hand into her neck to pull her closer and kiss her.

Midoriko was more than a bit nervous and unsure what was going to happen now but she hid her emotions behind the mask of calmness that she had started to wear after the war. She willingly let him pull her to him and while he moved his other hand to her waist, she placed her hands on his broad shoulders and slowly ran them down to his impressive pectorals. His lips were warm and slightly chapped and he tasted like green tea and something else that she couldn't describe. His arms tugged a bit harder and she was suddenly in his lap and pressed up to his powerful physique. A slight gasp escaped Midoriko before her eyes became a dark green and her slightly elated breath came in puffs.

Inside her mind the green eyed witch made somersaults and cartwheels, her husband DEFINITELY knew what he was doing.

Shikaku suppressed a groan; Midoriko was reacting so expressive and sensitive to his touch; another quick kiss elicited a slight whine when he withdrew. He smirked down at her and gave into temptation to run his hands through her unbelievingly long hair, it was silky and soft. Midoriko just smiled amused back before she leaned into him so that her face was fitted against his neck. Like this he could feel her fast beating heart and smell her herbal shampoo.

Shikaku was just about to kiss her again when felt his son's chakra signature fluctuate on the upper floor, a clear sign that Shikamaru would be leaving his room soon and was giving him a warning to stop anything inappropriate. Anyone else would be at least slightly freaked out about how well his child knew him but Shikaku was a Nara, they weren't particular uptight about sex and open intimacy. After all this would mean to further complicate clan life and that was just too much effort to bother. So while Shikaku was tempted to just continue these first tentative explorations he regretfully separated himself from Midoriko, he didn't want to embarrass her on her first day here. Shikamaru most likely would have just rolled his eyes if he had caught them and moved on with whatever he was doing but until he knew his new wife's personality better he wouldn't risk embarrassing or infuriating her.

**Shikamaru Interlude**

The two adults had moved into the kitchen when Shikamaru finally walked down the stairs, one glance to his father's smirking face and the slight blush on Midoriko's and he said, "I'm staying at Chouji's," and made his way to the front door. As laid back as Shikamaru was, he really didn't need to know what the two would be up to later.

"Wait Shikamaru; take this to the Hokage's office please." Shikaku stopped his son.

A quick glance at the document let Shikamaru sigh and murmur troublesome under his voice before he turned around and stated slightly louder, "Congratulations, dad, keibo (stepmother)."

Midoriko smiled in return and said, "Thank you Shikamaru-kun, but you can call me by my first name if you want."

"Alright," said Shikamaru before he nodded and left the house.

He leisurely walked over the compound grounds and was greeted lazily by the guards who sat in the shadows of the front gate before he made his way to the newly build Hokage tower to have his father's marriage certificate filed. Shikamaru really didn't want to think too much about what the two would be doing in the house and so he concentrated more on the things Midoriko would have to learn as the clan head's wife. Shikamaru sighed inwardly; it wouldn't be easy for her and he already liked her a good deal more than he probably should have with the fifteen minutes of interaction that he had with her.

She was definitely different than his mother, who although always taking care of his and his father's needs, never made a secret out of the fact that when he became a Chunin she would leave the clan and become a normal civilian, as stated in the marriage contract that her father had signed all those years ago. She now lived on the other side of Konoha and while she checked in on him once in a while she had completely stopped the contact between herself and his father and for that alone he felt somewhat indifferent to her. Shikamaru had always felt closer to his father than his mother, not only were they of the same temperament but the Nara clan head had always taken the time, no matter how busy he was to either play shogi with him or talk to him without criticizing or nagging him to do better, which his mother had done constantly even though she had known that he was a born Nara.

So while he still felt somewhat obligated to keep the contact between him and his mother going he didn't feel guilty for already feeling amiable concerning his new stepmother. He had seen the smirk on his father's face when he had left the house, the two seemed to be compatible and there was also the fact that she didn't try to validate her new position through making him call her mother or stepmother. This alone had gathered major brownie points with him, but he would have to see how things would process in the future and if the kind and relaxed behavior was just a front.

Shikamaru strolled into the administration building and then handed the document over to one of the desk ninja that were responsible for the upkeep of the files. Without bothering to explain himself Shikamaru turned around and left the building, the news that his father had married a foreigner would probably be over the whole village in less than three hours.

Shikamaru sighed while he chuckled dryly, ninja were such gossips.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Beta'd by Black Sparrow**

**Shikamaru Interlude**

Shikamaru arrived fifteen minutes later at Chouji's and even from outside the gate he could already hear Ino's nagging voice. For a short moment Shikamaru contemplated if sleeping somewhere else or even outside would be worth escaping her interrogation for another day. After a second of thought he slumped his shoulders, no it wouldn't. Ino would either track him down in the night or make the day afterwards hell for him for daring to make her wait. And so the Nara heir walked into the Akimichi household where Chouza was watching amused while his old teammate's daughter moaned about the fact that Shikamaru was taking so long.

"Hi," said Nara mumbled as a greeting.

"Shikamaru!" came the sudden cry before he was grabbed by the arm and moved into a free seat beside the hyperactive blonde.

The Nara heir just sighed and slumped even further, this was going to be a long evening.

"So tell me! How is she? Is she pretty? Ugly? Nice? A Fury? Come on tell me Shikamaru!"

Said male just sighed again before he murmured, "Troublesome," and took one of the snacks Chouji's mum put in front of him and was about to bite into the delicious fried roll when he was interrupted quite rudely.

"Shikamaru, don't you dare start eating before you tell me what happened today!" Ino growled and as a result Shikamaru only sank even further into his seat.

"She is okay," Shikamaru decided to say blandly while he barely hid his smirk from the Yamanaka beside him.

He didn't like to admit it but infuriating Ino was one of his favorite pastimes, right after sleeping, relaxing and playing shogi.

"What do you mean with okay? Gods above why are boys so unbelievable thick, come on tell me, how does she look like?" Ino was practically vibrating with energy and pent up frustration because he wasn't talking.

"… She is pretty," Shikamaru finally admitted, while he eyed his teammate from the side.

Ino's eyes had an instant sparkle and a mischievous grin. "Oh really… hair color, eye color?"

"Black hair and green eyes… emerald green… she is very pretty," conceded Shikamaru while he finally bit into the delicious fried balls in front of him, he knew why he always came to the Akimichi for dinner whenever possible.

"And her personality? And how did Shikaku-oji react to her," Ino kept asking while she slightly prodded his arm with her finger.

Shikamaru had to put some effort to not react to the poking… that kind of hurt after all.

"Calm, quiet, warm eyes and she and dad get along fine… by the way can I sleep here Chouza-oji, Emiko-oba?" Shikamaru asked in the Akimichi pair's direction.

"Sure Shikamaru," came the warm reply of Chouza before he continued, "So Shikaku is content with his bride?"

"Wife, they signed the certificate already and yeah the two seemed to get along," Shikamaru informed them.

Ino gasped at that and grinned while her eyes brightened even more, she was a romantic at heart and only wanted the best for her friends and family.

"Good. I'm glad that Shikaku is happy with this arrangement, we should invite them for tomorrow evening shouldn't we?" Chouza spoke to his wife.

"Yes dear, I hope that we can become friends. She is a hime isn't she? Do you think she knows how to cook?" Akimichi Emiko fretted.

"Probably not, and even if she can, she is not from the Elemental countries so the possibility that she knows the local recipes is minimal," Shikamaru drawled.

"So do you think it's a good idea to visit tomorrow with flowers? I can't wait to meet her." Ino gushed while inwardly she was already sorting through which flowers she would use for the bouquet.

"Troublesome woman, I don't care but wait until Chouji and I are ready, I have to introduce you two anyway." Shikamaru sighed, Ino could be so troublesome.

"Then it's a date, see you tomorrow Chouji, Shikamaru. Thanks for the food Emiko-oba, Chouza-oji." And with that his blonde teammate ran off to inform her parents about the news and whoever else she would meet on the way home.

Shikamaru just groaned while the Akimichis' chuckled, the boys continued to eat for a while before Chouji dragged his friend up into his room.

"So, do you like her? Is she going to be troublesome?" Chouji asked warmly while he took out the second futon that was always stored in the small closet beside the door.

"She is probably going to be less troublesome then most of the women here at least," came Shikamaru's lazy answer.

"A high complement if I have ever heard one from you." Chouji laughed, before he became serious once more. "What do you think Yoshino-san will think about her?"

Shikamaru sighed once more, this time even deeper then when answering Ino's questions. "I don't know and I don't particularly care. She lost all right to give her opinion about this when she left five years ago," Shikamaru spoke evenly, even though it still slightly hurt.

Chouji and Ino had stopped calling Yoshino obasan the moment the divorce papers were finished and went back to the more formal san. Both of his teammates hadn't liked the fact that Yoshino had been so callous and really had gone through with the divorce. Their parents' marriages had also been arranged but they had the luck to fall in love with each other and continued to stay together, like most arranged couples in Konoha. Yoshino on the other hand hadn't even tried to make an effort concerning her marriage with Shikaku… well with the exception of the most basic duties. That was also the reason why both Emiko and Shizuka (Ino's mother) had never really completely warmed up to Yoshino.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Beta'd by Black Sparrow**

Meanwhile Shikaku and Midoriko tried to get to know each other better. The clan head of the Nara had helped her set up the dishes Choza's wife had brought over in the morning.

"To be honest I feel a bit embarrassed about not knowing how to cook the dishes of your land but there really was no time to learn it in between practicing to speak your language and learning a bit about your culture."

Shikaku's lips quirked up a bit before he replied, "You don't have anything to apologize for. I didn't expect you to even know how to cook the dishes of your home country; himes normally don't learn how to do that in the Elemental countries."

"It's the same in England, females of my stature normally don't learn this or how to keep a house clean… I learned how to cook during my childhood with the relatives of my mother, who were an upper middle class family and after I started my mahou education as heiress… let's just say I refused to be a helpless damsel in distress, ever unable to feed myself," Midoriko answered.

Two years after the end of the war Midoriko had taken the time to enroll in magical housekeeping classes to learn the magical way to prepare dishes and the household charms that normally were passed down in families. Lockhart's book about cleaning charms had been an exception to the rule in the wizarding world and even than it had only contained small pieces of magic for the ultra light and muggleborn households. The class was held by a neutral witch and it was there that Midoriko learned about the rituals that the matriarch of the family performed each year around Beltane to cleanse the house not only from dirt but also removed excess and harmful magic. This also explained why the Black house had felt so dark and dank no matter what the black haired witch had done to change it before selling it, it hadn't been cleansed for a very long time.

In the last few years before leaving Britain Midoriko had switched to the Runes equivalent of those charms and rituals. For that she had carved Runes all over her home, they had kept the dirt away and automatically charged themselves around Beltane to prevent excess magic from accumulating in the corners of her home. Midoriko intended to do the same in her new home as soon as she had acquired permission from her husband.

"You were raised by a middle class family?"

Midoriko grimaced when she thought back on her early years and her face closed off a bit. "Yes… after my parents were murdered when I was fourteen months old I was given to my mother's sister…"

Shikaku watched the change in his wife and noted this with curiosity; it was clearly not a topic she liked to talk about… should he continue to prod?

"Sensitive topic?"

A tired sigh escaped Midoriko while she took a sip of her wine, she hated to talk about this but this man across from her was her husband, the one person she would hopefully spend the rest of her life with. 'Suck it up Potter, this happened nearly twenty years ago!'

"My aunt was jealous of my mother and my uncle had an aversion to my powers in general… let's just say my stay was… not what it should have been."

Shikaku stiffened, he could still remember the horror he had felt about the clan slaughters in Mist, was her situation similar? Midoriko clearly didn't want to talk about this so he just nodded and grunted in understanding.

"May I ask about your education as a mahou user? I have been informed that it is similar to chakra."

Midoriko's lips turned up into a genuine smile and her eyes became alight.

"That is true, we use our bodies' energies, quite similar to your chakra, only the mix is different, we use more mental than physical energy, additionally to that there are only a few of our people capable of enhancing their bodies with mahou. We are also not taught how to fight until we have completed our education and start an apprenticeship as law enforcement officers."

Shikaku inwardly relaxed a bit, he hadn't liked the fact that he had next to no knowledge about his bride's people when he had agreed to this marriage. Normally he wouldn't have taken such a big gamble but their clan truly needed the money and his contacts had assured him and his lawyer again and again that these mysterious people were honorable and not a threat.

"In your homeland… are you all capable of using …"

"Magic… is what we call it but mahou translates the best and no, only about 0,05% of England's population is capable. That's why the general public doesn't know about us and we are sent to a special school when we are old enough. Untrained we would pose a significant risk to ourselves and the people around us," Midoriko explained while her eyes curiously traced Shikaku's visible scars, "The education starts after the child's eleventh birthday and ends in either five or seven years later. We are considered adults the moment we reach our seventeenth birthday."

Shikaku's eyebrow raised itself in astonishment that was exceedingly late for a ninja education, after all the body had to be physical conditioned as early as possible to tap into its full potential.

"Our children begin training normally between the ages of six and eight and are considered adults when they become Genin, which is around twelve or thirteen."

Midoriko's nodded at that, her tutor had given her the gritty run down on child soldiers in the Elemental countries. She wasn't sure if she should feel horrified or not, yes it was a bit extreme but she had been one herself and knew that with eleven years you could be mature enough to fight and even kill, no matter how accidently.

"The children of my people would probably also start earlier with training if they could but during the first ten years of our lives our core doesn't grow a lot and even then using mahou is erratic at best. Between the ages of ten and twelve we hit a mahou growth spurt and after that it's possible to harness our powers without being completely exhausted after every spell."

Shikaku listened fascinated while Midoriko explained parts of her education as well as how the majority harnessed their powers; he also noted the large parts that she DIDN'T tell him. Though he couldn't complain, ninja were a LOT more paranoid and wouldn't have indulged an outsider even a fraction of what Midoriko was doing.

Soon their conversation turned to Shikaku's shinobi career and then in turn Midoriko's education as a Fuinjutsu master. Both of them glossed over large parts of their experience without lying outright, they didn't know the other one well enough to gauge their trustworthiness yet.

Midoriko was listening to Shikaku's explanation about Konoha's administration when she bit into what her husband had called goma dango (sesame balls) and moaned in surprised delight before completely concentrating on the treat in front of her. This may even be able to beat chocolate.

The shinobi across from her had become still and was watching Midoriko with half lidded eyes, a lazy smile curling on his lips and a curious tilted head. Shikaku swallowed slowly while he felt the blood rush through his body. The sound she was making evoked thoughts of the more… pleasant benefits of being married. And truth be told Shikaku was really looking forward to taking the woman across from him to bed.

A common misconception about his clan was that Naras were so lazy that even sex was too troublesome. Inwardly Shikaku had to snort, yes they didn't particular like doing additional or unneeded work but whoever saw sex as a chore was clearly doing something wrong.

The black haired witch savored the last of her treat before she turned to her husband once more… and promptly stilled; she felt like prey that was meeting the predator's gaze. Shikaku looked like a big lazy jungle cat lounging in his seat head propped up in one hand with his own still untouched dessert in front of him. With a languid move of his hand her husband pushed the small dish in her direction without removing his eyes from her lips.

Midoriko felt as said lips involuntary mirrored the lazy smile of her vis-à-vis, the air around them had taken on a slightly heavy quality and the black haired witch had to consciously suppress the delighted shiver that wanted to run down her back.

Now very conscious of the attention of Shikaku Midoriko slowly began to eat, the taste was just as good as her own one only now another hunger started to grow in her. She couldn't help but think back to the way Shikaku had kissed her pulse point and unconsciously let her own eyes travel to her husband's lips.

Satisfied the Nara clan head watched as his wife's emerald green eyes turned a darker shade while she clearly distracted finished the food. Before meeting Midoriko he had expected to wait a few days to ease the foreign hime into a state of relaxation before sleeping with her but the clear chemistry between them let him hope to speed this time frame significantly up.

After finishing their meal the two moved their dishes into the dishwasher and stored the leftovers in the fridge before Shikaku leaned against the kitchen counter and asked calmly, "You now have to make a decision concerning sleeping arrangements. Do you want the room of my ex-wife or are you joining me in the master bedroom?"

The green eyed woman clearly debated her choices for a moment before saying, "Shikaku-san, to be honest I would like to make this marriage work, maybe even fall in love with you… so it probably would be a good idea to share a room."

Shikaku nodded at that while his heart made a hopeful jump and instead of answering he gently took her hand into his and led her up to the master bedroom.

Yoshino had had moved out of their bedroom the day she had confirmed that she was pregnant with Shikamaru and had only returned occasionally to have her sexual urges satisfied, though she had never stayed afterwards. Shikaku had intellectually always known that he was not at fault concerning Yoshino's stubbornness but it still had hurt his pride and self esteem when she had continued to reject him no matter what he did, oh she had never cheated on him or anything but the refusal to do more than to just cooperate had stung quite a bit. That Midoriko now wanted this marriage to work let him hope for the future.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Beta'd by Black Sparrow**

Shikaku led her up to the door on the end of the hallway while he quickly named the rooms they were passing. Most of them were empty bedrooms but a few were storage rooms or bathrooms. Shikamaru didn't live in this hall, instead he had his room on the other side of the house where rooms for the adult but unmarried members of the main family were situated.

Inside the master bedroom Midoriko took her time while she admired the spacious room with the beautiful bed, a matching make-up table and a built-in wardrobe. All three pieces of furniture had artfully crafted deer silhouettes and the Nara clan symbol carved into them. A glance to the floor let Midoriko recognize the clan symbol inlaid in the floor, the motive was continued in the deer carving on the door across the bed that led to a bathroom.

More than satisfied with the view Midoriko unsealed her two wardrobes. Beside her Shikaku watched fascinated if slightly wary as they grew to be nearly as tall as him. The black haired witch opened the first one to show Shikaku its content. Wordlessly the Nara clan head opened the deer wardrobe that he had commissioned four months ago to show his wife the empty space beside his clothes.

Happily said woman started to move first her dresses and kimonos into the beautiful piece of furniture before she started to fill the empty shelves with her pants and shirts. The two drawers beneath her dresses were also quickly filled with her underwear and Shikaku couldn't help the mischievous grin that stole itself across his face. His new wife caught said expression and the amused eyebrow that he got in return was a welcome opening for Shikaku. With two steps he was behind her and softly kissed her right ear.

"Not going to call me a pervert?" he couldn't help but tease.

"That would defeat the purpose; these are after all more for your benefit than mine," came the dry reply from the black haired woman.

The chuckle that her words elicited vibrated through her body and sent shivers down to her toes, she could practically see the sparks flying between them.

Shikaku hid his grin in her neck before he took a step back to give her some space to finish her task and lazily sat down against the headboard of the bed to watch her flit between her two travel wardrobes and his own one… well theirs.

Finished with the clothes Midoriko took out two bags of toiletries alongside a sleeping chemise that she had left out on purpose and sat them on the bed before shrinking her Rune furniture back into easy portable objects that vanished into her satchel, she would take care of the rest on the next day. She quickly organizing her make up into the drawers of her make-up table and then wandered into the en-suite Midoriko waited for Shikaku's reaction concerning her sleepwear that was in full view on their bed, she hoped that he didn't need another hint.

It was a skimpy piece, a really skimpy piece.

Shikaku inwardly shook his head and grinned while he traced the piece of silk and lace first with his eyes and then with his hand. She may not be as outspoken and brash as the better part of the kunoichi population but Midoriko was definitely not a meek civilian woman who hid behind exaggerated modesty and would just take anything he said as an order.

Taking the non-verbal invitation as what it was Shikaku slipped out of his socks and blue Konoha standard over shirt which he laid over the chair beside his side of the bed before removing his bandages and hidden weapons. Checking once more that he had nothing dangerous left on his body he followed Midoriko just in his mesh and pants into the bathroom.

Said black haired woman stilled and watched in the mirror while her husband came closer behind her. When she could feel the warmth he was radiating at her back, she turned around and slowly let her hands wander under the shirt.

But before she could do anything the man in front of her said, "I hope you know that you don't have to do this if it is going too fast. We have all the time in the world."

Midoriko had to smile at that. "Shikaku, I have been worrying myself for the last few days about what to expect from my husband-to-be, you are not what I expected, in a very, very positive way. So believe me, I really want this."

Before he could say anything else the black haired witch pushed the strangely made shirt up until she could remove it from his frame. A small gasp escaped her and she had to bite off the moan that wanted to escape her mouth when she finally caught a glance of her husband's uncovered physique. He was BUILT, powerful pectorals, a six pack and even his sides were packed with muscles. Her eyes traced lazily the many scars that crisscrossed his body. Oddly enough they didn't take away from his attractiveness, she herself had had all visible scars either magically or surgically removed after the war, it may seem conceited and unnecessary but she hadn't been able to look at her own body for a very long time and to see them go had been more than a relief for the witch, it had marked a new beginning for her.

Returning from her thoughts Midoriko's eyes wandered over the naturally tanned skin, Shikaku had a slight sprinkle of hair on his upper body but the only other area where she could see it was the treasure trail that started under his belly button and vanished into his pants. Midoriko was lightly chewing on her lip while she explored the naked flesh in front of her; Shikaku seemed content in letting her lead. After she had lightly scratched her fingernails over his uncovered front Midoriko took the last step until she was standing pressed against Shikaku's half naked body; her still clothed breasts were touching his pectorals.

Now Shikaku's arms came alive and opened the pearly haori Midoriko was wearing and hungrily took in her blemish free, pale skin and the matching pearl colored silk bra. He stroked her sides before undoing her hakama and letting them slip down, pulling her up until she trapped his hips with her legs.

Both sighed when they felt the contact and Midoriko slowly started to undulate against Shikaku's blatant interest.

"Tease," Shikaku grunted before he undid her bra with one hand and latched onto her left breast with his mouth.

Midoriko gasped while she leaned back slightly, secure in the knowledge that Shikaku was strong enough to hold her and moaned happily and asked breathlessly, "Who is the tease now?"

Shikaku smirked into her breast before nipping once more and then asking, "Bed or shower first?"

"Shower, I feel a bit gross after this long day," Midoriko gasped and unhooked her legs from around his waist.

With a quick step to the side she opened the shower cabin before starting the water. Finished with her task she sent Shikaku a smirk over her shoulder and slowly removed her tabi (kimono socks) and panties. Shikaku growled playfully before removing his own cargo pants and boxers as well as his hair tie. In the meantime Midoriko had leaned against the shower and slowly caressed her breasts while she watched Shikaku undress. When the Nara clan head looked up he had to hold onto his control to not take her in right that moment against the shower stall. Instead he walked nonchalantly closer and kissed her knee-weakening before he opened the stall and moved both of them under the water.

Midoriko sighed while she leaned against Shikaku and enjoyed the water that was running down her body. The needy lust that had been burning through her body only moments ago had receded a bit and the green eyed woman was now enjoying the light touches and soft swipes with which those big and rough hands lavished her body. She let loose a constant flood of small breathy moans, soft gasps and light whimpers while Shikaku explored her body, though without touching either her sex or breasts. When the fire inside her belly slowly started to return Midoriko took the shampoo from the shower fixture and put some of it on her hands and lifted them up to Shikaku's head where she washed his hair with a gentle and careful massage, it had a thicker texture than her own but was softer than it looked. She maneuvered him under the water stream and when the water ran clear she repeated the same procedure with the body wash while she simultaneously explored the body in front of her, especially his muscular arms and legs found appreciation during that time. The ninja in front of her seemed to enjoy it, although she couldn't be completely sure because he hadn't moaned or even sighed once since the start. The only signs of arousal were Shikaku's dilated eyes, his elevated breath and of course the erection that strained in her direction.

After she was finished Shikaku took a bigger portion of the shampoo into his hand but seemed unsure where to begin, with a smile and peck to his cheek Midoriko moved his hand to her head before she let them glide through her wet hair. It took a while for the sudsy water to run clear but neither of them seemed in any kind of hurry. The moment the water started to run clear Midoriko moved her hair over her right shoulder to the front to give Shikaku access to her back. His callous hands glided over her skin and sent pleasant shivers through her body, in response her nipples tightened even further.

With a quick movement of his hand Shikaku abruptly stopped the shower and moved them both out of the stall. Midoriko's shivering, this time from the cold air stopped when Shikaku wrapped her into one of the big brown towels that hung beside the shower and dried off her skin. The black haired woman sent him a grateful smile before she concentrated her powers to her hands until they started to glow. As a reaction Shikaku's eyebrow rose when she moved them to her head and then combed them through her hair. The water evaporated nearly instantly and her hair was left dry and shiny. Curious about what he had just seen Shikaku touched it to verify its dryness. When the black haired woman offered nonverbally to do the same for him a slightly wary look flitted over Shikaku's face. Taking her clues from his face, Midoriko instead grabbed a towel and carefully pressed most of the water out of his hair, the hair was still damp but no longer dripping.

"It's a trick of my people," Midoriko stated while she distractedly combed her hands through his shoulder length hair.

Shikaku nodded at this before he took a step closer and took her face into his hands. "I'm sorry about refusing but I need some more time to be sure of you loyalties."

"Ninja are paranoid." Midoriko grinned teasingly before she kissed him playfully on the lips. "Don't worry I have been warned by my colleagues and lawyers about it. If you want I can show you some of my abilities in the next few days."

Shikaku relaxed slightly more even though he didn't show it. "Hhm, maybe we can even spar so that I can assess your skill level."

To this Midoriko just laughed before she shook her head and replied, "I think you misunderstand, we are taught to control our powers and use them defensively in a pinch but civilians don't learn physical fighting. I admit I know quite a lot more techniques then the average graduate but that's because we had a civil war only ten years ago, right during my graduation time and everyone was getting pulled into it. The opposition was killing indiscriminately, men, women and children, so we either had to learn more defensive and protective spells or die."

At that Shikaku's eyebrow rose but he didn't say anything; war was ugly no matter the scale. He would have to find out some more about it as well as on which side his new wife had fought when he had the time. Because fought she had, of that Shikaku was sure, she may have got away unscathed if the state of her body was any conclusion but her answer had been a tad too nonchalant for her to only have been on the sidelines.

So instead of pressing for more information he removed the towel from Midoriko's body once more and smiled when she stood completely naked if a bit shyly in front of him. Which was understandable, even most kunoichis with the exception of the seduction division would feel uncomfortable standing completely naked in a room to be ogled by a man they had only met a few hours ago. Midoriko was no virgin of that he was sure now, though he couldn't decide if he felt relief or disappointment about the fact that somebody else had known her body so intimately before him. With a last mental shrug he took her hand into his and led her back into the master bedroom, it didn't matter, she was his now and would hopefully be for a very long time.

In the bedroom Shikaku made quick work of lifting Midoriko onto the bed and put her in the middle of it. The emerald eyed woman smirked slightly up at him and moved her hands quickly over her head before she stretched her body and sprawled out over the bed. Shikaku took in the comfortable tensed muscles and the heated look she was sending him and just smiled lazily, minx. With a languid movement he settled over her and started to ignite her arousal once more, but unlike before his hands went straight for the prize this time. Shikaku watched with dark satisfaction while Midoriko writhed under him and tried to desperately increase the attention he was giving to her clitoris. It didn't take Shikaku long to have her panting and moaning in pleasure and right before she climaxed he sank into her.

Shikaku didn't expect the scream that was forced out of her throat when he entered her, nor the violent muscle contractions that clamped onto his cock. A swearword escaped him while he helplessly hammered into Midoriko for a moment, said woman could just writhed underneath him and came and came.

The Nara was sweating and grimly holding onto his self control, he was an experienced shinobi damn it, not some hormone driven civilian boy who had never had sex in his life before! And so he breathed through the divine pleasure that was Midoriko's orgasm with precise and slow thrusts and only when he felt that Midoriko's contractions were weakening he picked the pace up once more.

The witch underneath him didn't know where up or down was.

She had thought herself experienced and lucky with her former lovers but what her new husband was now doing to her let her question her former lovers prowess', either they had only been mediocre or Shikaku was unbelievingly good.

A surprised sob escaped her when she felt another peak building, tears ran down her face and she helplessly tried to hold onto something to anchor her to this world, but with even her arm muscles spasming it was a futile endeavor, Midoriko could only move her pelvic weakly into the earth shattering thrusts and take what Shikaku was giving her.

Said Nara clan head couldn't help but feel smug about the way his wife was reacting to him, she was immensely gratifying for his ego; he still seemed to have it after all! After her second orgasm Shikaku slowed down a bit, his strokes became languid and deep and finally Midoriko had a chance to catch her breath. She laughed breathlessly before she pulled the shinobi above her into a kiss and then promptly scratched her nails down his back when he hit impossibly deep in her and stayed there for a moment. Shikaku groaned and shivered at the single hard contraction he elicited and the slight pain on his back, before he doubled his efforts once more. As a result Midoriko's moans turned a tad desperate once more which only provoked an arrogant grin from the Nara head. In response the black haired witch weakly hit him on his arm and shoulder, it elicited a breathless chuckle from him before the brunette bent down and kissed Midoriko again.

When Midoriko's next orgasm hit neither of the Nara pair was prepared for it and the witch wasn't even able to moan, her mouth opened but no sound came out while her eyes rolled into the back of her skull and her whole body twitched without her having any control over it. Unable to withstand the pressure this time, Shikaku finally let go and sank himself with nearly impossible fast thrusts into Midoriko's body before he too climaxed. The Nara desperately closed his eyes while he felt wave after wave of pleasure running through his genitals while he came deep inside Midoriko.

After some minutes of just heavy breathing Shikaku finally pulled out before he rolled over and took Midoriko with him. The speechless witch lay nearly completely sprawled out over his chest and her heart was only slowly calming down.

When she finally had the breath to speak Midoriko turned her head and looked tiredly into Shikaku's eyes. "Your first wife divorced you, didn't she?... She must have been numb down there."

Shikaku who had started to tense at the beginning of the sentences laughed surprised while he softly moved Midoriko's hair out of her glistening face and away from her body. His lips where still twitching while he listened to her falling asleep.

When he was sure she wouldn't wake up by being moved, Shikaku tugged the blanket away underneath them and covered both of them. A relaxed sigh escaped him before he fell into a light doze; the unfamiliar chakra signature right next to him prevented him from falling asleep too deeply.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Shikaku Interlude**

Shikaku came awake instantly when he felt the woman beside him stir but instead of opening his eyes he kept his breathing and heartbeat calm; he wanted to see what she would do.

The body beside him stiffened when she became conscious of her surroundings, but Midoriko relaxed after a moment of disorientation. With careful movements she sat up and detangled her long hair from below the pillow and Shikaku's arm. She really tried to be silent when she moved out of the bed and into the en suite but she was a civilian and so the shinobi's hearing easily homed in on the light pitter patter against the wooden floor. A few moments after she had vanished in the bathroom he could hear the toilet going and then the shower.

For a moment he was undecided if he should get up and join her or stay in bed for a bit longer, his body felt relaxed and surprisingly refreshed for the amount of sleep he had gotten. The decision was taken from him when the shower stopped and Midoriko used the same weird chakra signature that she had used the day before to dry her hair. Shikaku noticed that she was uncommonly quiet for a civilian and listened amused as she slowly moved into the bedroom before making her way to the wardrobe. His hearing told him that she was taking out some underwear and one coat hanger, probably a dress before she vanished back into the bathroom.

Still feeling lazy Shikaku moved his hands behind his head and lazily let his eyes wander through the bedroom while he contemplated what he would have to do today. Because he hadn't expected Midoriko to agree to a fast tracked marriage he hadn't taken time off of his afternoon duties and so Shikaku had a meeting with Ibiki today that he really shouldn't miss. At least it was Tuesday and that meant that he would have the following three days off of meetings with various members of Konoha's elite… well baring a catastrophe or another war.

Shikaku let out a deep sigh while his mind simultaneously worked out the coded intel they had intercepted on Nagi Island and the new defensive drill for the ANBU rookies that the ANBU General had been bothering him about. His mind had just put the final details in place when the door opened again and Midoriko came out.

Shikaku let his half closed eyes glide over her form and appreciate the vision before him. His new wife wore a mint green dress with dark green and white details all over it. Her hair was braided this time, in what probably was a very complicated hairstyle. Her hair was loosely pulled back and fell in soft waves down the middle of her back and down to her calves.

When her eyes met his she gave him a small smile and a tiny good morning before she came closer to his side of the bed and after a moment of uncertainty sat down beside him. Shikaku finally moved and let the cover slide down his naked torso when he sat up in bed.

"Good Morning," the Nara head answered back.

This was followed by an awkward moment of silence while they tried to figure out how to act around each other.

Shikaku watched Midoriko's reactions and waited for her to give him a sign how to initiate contact without coming on too strong. They may have consummated their marriage last night and she had given him a lot of positive signals beforehand but he didn't delude himself into thinking that he suddenly had the right to touch the woman in front of him without her express permission.

When Midoriko bit her lip and started to lean into his form with intent eyes on his lips, he took this as open invitation. The moment she was close enough his arms encased her body and tugged her closer, though instead of kissing her he placed a few gently pecks on her cheeks, ear and braided hair.

At her confused gaze he chuckled. "As much as I would like to kiss you, I won't subject you to my morning breath on the first day of our marriage."

The Nara could feel her amused huff against his neck before she leaned into his body and seemed to search for heat. One of her cool hands was placed a bit above his hipbone while the other grabbed his biceps and unconsciously traced his muscle definition. Feeling too content to get up Shikaku increased his hold before he let himself fall back into bed so that both were lying down again.

**Midoriko Interlude**

Midoriko's lips twitched while she was once more horizontal; she had a feeling that the laziness of the Nara Clan really hadn't been exaggerated… not that she was complaining. She closed her eyes once more while she took in the scents around her. It smelled like her body lotion, musk and body odor, the combination was a bit too strong and too sweet but the warm body underneath her felt good and she really couldn't be bothered to get up and open a window right now. Not really tired but perfectly alright with relaxing and doing nothing for the time being Midoriko's mind began to wander. It was still a bit surreal to her that she was now in Konoha… and married.

God she was married.

The black haired witch couldn't really describe what she was feeling, or more like she wasn't sure if what she was feeling was appropriate or normal in a situation like this… but truth be told, she had no idea what kind of reaction could be considered appropriate.

Midoriko felt… relief and curiosity. Strange because one could think that she would be anxious and melancholic about her loss of freedom. But no, Miss Potter had to be an exception… well Mrs. Nara now. It seemed as if her wonky luck had really come through for her this time.

She was called out of her strange thoughts by the feeling of her five strand braid being moved, Midoriko moved her head slightly so that she could watch Shikaku curiously finger her hair style.

"Isn't that a lot of work?" his deep voice asked mildly curious.

"Not really… I will show you tomorrow. I had to learn how to braid this style only once, my mind still remembers how it is done and so I just concentrate on the end result and my mahou reacts to that."

"… you can braid your hair with your mind and chakra?" Shikaku asked in disbelief while he stared at her.

Midoriko snorted while she rubbed her nose on the stubbles on his chin. "Basically… yes. That's it."

"A hair braid jutsu… Ino would probably kill for something like that," Shikaku mused out loud.

"Ino?" Midoriko asked curiously, that was a woman's name wasn't it?

"The daughter of one of my best friends and Shikamaru's teammate," her husband elaborated.

"Ah," Midoriko mumbled, suddenly feeling foolish and burrowing her head in his neck.

Shikaku squeezed her slightly before saying, "I have never cheated, and won't begin now."

Midoriko closed her eyes, now really embarrassed before she nodded and said, "Sorry… it's just… it's not so uncommon in my homeland that the family heads have one or two mistresses on the side."

A nearly inaudible snort escaped Shikaku before he answered amused, "That would be too much work."

Midoriko's eyes became wide and she snorted loudly before starting to laugh.

"You are really lazy huh?"

"If I can get away with it."

The witch just hhmed understandingly and traced one of his pectorals before bringing herself into a seated position once more, though this time she was straddling Shikaku's boxer clad hips while her hands came to a rest at his lower stomach. She smiled down at him while she took in the picture he was making. Shikaku was relaxed, one hand now behind his head while the other still held her braid, his skin was a shiny brown against her own skin. This was her husband from now on… she could definitely learn to live with that.

Impulsively she leaned down again and kissed him close mouth on the lips, just a tiny peck before getting off him and saying, "I have no problem with being lazy from time to time."

Shikaku's eyes followed her while she leisurely made her way to the door and vanished into the hallway.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Once outside the master bedroom Midoriko paused for a moment. The long corridor wasn't especially well-lit but she could still see and especially feel the slightly cold dark wood underneath her naked feet. By the look of it, it was pretty new, there was not one board that creaked or gave a bit because of her weight, there were also no scratches in the surface, as if the house hadn't seen a lot of living yet. Curious the green eyed witch lifted her hand and touched the wall while she took in her new home and it's décor.

The day before she had already noticed that the whole house was two floors high and had a distinct U shape, the side wings were also a bit shorter than the main building. It was mostly built out of wood, and everything had a fresh and unused feeling to it. During the short tour Shikaku had given her, Midoriko had noticed that the ground floor was clearly meant to host a lot of people if needed. With the exception of the kitchen area and the bathroom walls it was all one big room that was divided by deceptively fragile removable screens.

The master bedroom on the other hand was situated at the end of the left wing on the first floor. All rooms on the upper floor were connected through a single corridor; the walls in it were painted a plain beige color and the calming color was only interrupted by minimalist grass and wood paintings along it, whoever had done that was certainly a master. A simple staircase in the middle of the main part of the house connected upper floor with the ground floor.

With moderate steps Midoriko made her way down only to stop and stare. How had she missed that yesterday? The room screens had all beautiful deer and wood scenes on them. The black haired witch smiled while she wandered closer to one of the screens. It showed a female deer and its fawn while they were grazing, Midoriko couldn't help herself and lifted her hand to gently trace the paintings delicate outlines. The moment she touched the paper she recognized that something very similar to magic ran through it, no matter how fragile this construct looked Midoriko was sure that it was a lot more solid than one would have thought. Turning around the black haired witch let her eyes wander over the rest of the first floor. The whole building was modeled like a traditional higher class home of Japan though it had a few exceptions that clearly differentiated it from the homes she had seen in that country

Number one was that the room proportions were exceptionally bigger than what was standard in Japan, number two was that instead of the tatami mats wooden parquet spanned most of the house, only a few designated areas held tatami mats and then there was the third reason that made it abundantly clear that this was a ninja household. At first Midoriko hadn't been able to really put a finger on what it was but after she started to wander around and the black haired witch noticed that it was possible to have strategic views on all entrances from nearly wherever she stood. Additionally there were multiple cupboards and cabinets beside the ceiling length room screens that would give a decent amount of cover from said entrances. And finally there was the high ceiling that was the most unusual change in the Nara clan house, it reminded her more of the relatively high ceilings of old European flats, the additional room probably gave the fighters more space to maneuver. The building still looked somewhat strange and foreign to her but that was probably because she had grown up around European styled architecture, she was sure that she would soon adjust to the Asian one.

Satisfied with her findings Midoriko turned her attention back to the kitchen, only to find her husband leaning against the staircase.

"May I ask why there are deer everywhere?" she asked over her shoulder when her eyes wandered back to the picture on the screen.

"The Nara Clan always had a strong connection to them, we have been taking care of deer herds for several generations now… we use their antlers for medicine… almost everything of them is used by the clan."

Midoriko's smile widened a bit before she laughed somewhat nostalgic, more to herself than to her husband she said, "Fate has a strange sense of humor… or somebody up there wants to give me a hint." The last part was said in a dry tone.

"What do you mean?"

"The spirit form of my father was a big stag… and my Patronus charm takes on the same form … I have always associated deer with safety and security… I think I will take this as a good Omen."

Shikaku raised his eyebrow a fraction; he had understood only about half what she just said, but Midoriko didn't elaborate further. Filing this away for later Shikaku gestured in direction of the kitchen.

They continued their conversation from the day before while eating leftovers for breakfast. This time it was Shikaku who talked most of the time, and Midoriko listened attentively. They nearly sat two hours at the wooden table while the Nara explained about the structure of the Nara Clan, mentality and their duties inside the village.


	9. Chapter 9

**Beta'd by Black Sparrow**

**Shikaku POV**

Shikaku intently watched Midoriko's reaction while he explained a bit about the make up of the clan and its history.

The Naras had a very straight forward approach to unnecessary work, they tended to avoid it at all costs and so a branch that had more than twenty members was deemed too much work some decades ago. In that case either the younger sibling or younger child of the current branch head would begin a new branch. The line of the main family was a bit of an exception, the limit there had been changed to ten members because of the additional work as a clan head.

Furthermore it was possible to change branches if the head of the branch that would take in the Nara agreed to it. It was rare but it happened from time to time, especially when siblings or cousins didn't get along.

The branch heads along with some of the retired Nara clan members formed the council that supported the clan head in his decisions concerning clan matters, though the clan head had the final say. Thankfully there had never been a lot of discrepancies concerning decision making between them. As far as Shikaku could remember this had only happened once and that was when he had changed the inheritance law of the clan.

The Nara Clan had been, like the vast majority of the shinobi clans, strictly patriarchal until some twenty four years ago when Shikaku, who had only been nineteen at that time had taken over as the clan head when his father died during one of the last battles of the Third War and changed the clan law so that the eldest daughter could inherit the position.

Shikaku had shared a class with Inuzuka Tsume and had witnessed more than once how capable kunoichi had been passed over in favor for male counterparts that sometimes weren't even as suitable as they would have been. Frankly he hadn't understood this reasoning and while his own family was not directly discriminating against their female clan members they still were indirectly denying their daughters their right to advance and lead. It so happened that during the time of his decision making the clan also had an all time low on males because of the just ended war, which only reconfirmed Shikaku's opinion of the clan hurting itself with such a restricting law. Sadly, when he had proposed the change the majority of the branch heads had been uncomfortable with the thought of women leading and had voted against this but because the majority of the clan members, which were notably female, were in favor of the law it was passed without too many hitches.

Shikaku had to suppress a chuckle when he thought back at the stunned faces of the other Clan Heads of Konoha when within a month both the Akimichi and the Yamanaka clan had followed his example. In the next two decades he had watched as more and more clans had changed their laws in favor of their daughters though there were still those old codgers that held onto their views with sheer stubbornness.

**Midoriko POV**

Midoriko nodded thoughtfully while chewing on the last of the delicious sweet sour pork, the black haired witch was listening attentively to Shikaku's description of how the clan was constructed before asking curiously, "You said something of duties to the village?"

"Yes… the Nara aren't part of the four founding clans of Konoha but they belong to the first recruiting phase along with the Yamanaka, the Sarutobi, the Kurama, the Inuzuka and the Inoue. This means that our pact with the village is a tad different than the contracts that the clans afterwards received.

Before the hospital was built and then expanded to do its own research the Naras were solely responsible for the furthering of the knowledge concerning medicine and herbs in Konoha. We were supported by the Aburame and the Yamanaka who both had a vast knowledge about plants and how to grow them but weren't as suited as we were for the needed research. That is why we have a clan specific clause that lets us hold certain members of the clan back from being put on missions. Of course there has to be a good reason for that but if the Nara is vital for a current research he or she isn't allowed to be used on dangerous missions. So that is the first duty to the village, maintaining the Nara research facilities and keeping records of this knowledge for Konoha. These days we are tasked with leading specific projects while the mainstream work is taken over by different research departments in the hospital, though they too have their specialists.

The second duty has to do with our deer and woods, in case of a siege the herds and the woods inside and outside the gate become property of Konoha and will be used as living stock for the village.

There is another thing that you should probably know; the word of a Nara has a lot of weight in Konoha. The civilians and ninja tend to respect us for our clans reputation alone and so members are often called to settle informal disputes between clans or individuals… though you won't really have to worry about this because we normally delegate this to the retired Nara members… and that's it for the moment, I will try to get you a copy of the laws of Konoha as soon as possible but I'm not sure if they have been reprinted already… oh and there is another duty, though it is more of an honor granted to the older clans than anything else. The clan head or his designated representative is a part of the adviser council of the Hokage, it's a hereditary seat for the Naras but it's more of a ceremonial position than anything else. Konoha is first and foremost a military dictatorship and the Hokage has the absolute authority. Our current one, Tsunade-sama has her advisors and of course different political fractions and public opinion can put some pressure on her but in the end she has the final say."

"And this works out for a village of this size? I mean how many people live here? Sixty thousand, seventy thousand?"

"Close to eighty thousand… we lost a lot ninja during the war."

"A village of eighty thousand led by the decisions of one woman… and it apparently works… it's a bit of a foreign concept for me… to be honest that was also one of the main reasons I had been wary about a marriage into a hidden village… I come from a society where we were warned our whole lives about dictatorship and how absolute power corrupts absolutely… our leaders are elected in a semi democratic way and can be thrown out of the office just as fast if they do something stupid… and most of our neighbor countries have similar systems."

Here the witch paused while she watched Shikaku's reaction, the man across from her simply nodded at that. He had come across some societies that were led like that, though in most cases it didn't really work out in one way or another.

"…though to be honest the system from my homeland is not really a viable solution… there is a lot of corruption going on… I have had some bad experiences with would-be-dictators and ostrich-politicians during my teenage years… and of course there is also that political prosecution that landed me in your bed...". Midoriko smirked at him while she quickly stole a broccoli spear that Shikaku clearly didn't want to eat.

**Shikaku POV**

Shikaku slouched a bit forward while he watched the woman across from him amused and curious. He liked that she dared to break conventional table manners and to be honest he was really not sorry about that damn broccoli. His mind then wandered back to her last statement, he had to admit he was quite interested in what really had made her flee so quickly and entirely from the land she was born into. Her lawyers had always given half hearted answers, though they hadn't lied about anything outright and Midoriko herself hadn't broached the topic yet. Keeping his eyes trained on her he listened to her next sentences.

"… so maybe I shouldn't condemn a system I have no real knowledge about," the black haired witch finally concluded wryly.

Shikaku's mouth twitched into a half smile. "Military dictatorship or not, we still have tons of laws and regulations for the everyday life and most of them are logic based and make coexisting possible in a village filled with paranoid ninja… want to tell me about why you were politically prosecuted?"

At that Midoriko raised her eyebrow. "Mitzubi-san didn't tell you? Oh well, besides my rather substantial monetary wealth and old and respected bloodline I have the… misfortune of being quite powerful for a mahou wielder… long story short, the current political leader, the _Minister of Magic_, wanted me as a wife… and I laughed him in the face and ignored his proposals. After that he systematically dragged my reputation through the mud and made me into some kind of lunatic that needed to be controlled… when he started to change laws concerning marriage I contacted Mitzubi-san."

Shikaku felt both of his eyebrows rise while his brown eyes bored into Midoriko's deep green ones, she hid it well but he could clearly see the hurt that was relatively well hidden in those fascinating eyes of hers. This was clearly personal and not just any politician that had desired her pedigree.

"You knew him."

Shikaku took a calculated risk in prodding further, Midoriko was an intriguing complex woman and this could backfire and make her close off from him but the Nara Clan head pegged her for someone who held honestly and trust in very high regard. She clearly wanted to make this marriage work and this could be the foundation on which they would built on, though Shikaku was quite aware that should she concede to this show of trust he would have to offer her something of equal worth.

The woman in front of him pressed her lips together while her whole face turned thunderous and bitter.

"We grew up together; we knew each other since we were eleven. I would even go so far as call him one of my closer friends though I had a better relationship with his elder brothers and younger sister. Hell, we survived the civil war together and lost the same people… and then it turned out that he was an attention seeking asshole who used our friends sacrifice, his OWN family's sacrifice to gain the public's affection and approval. I hadn't seen him for years when a marriage proposal via letter landed at my house and started the whole mess."

'Well fuck,' Shikaku thought. He had expected some kind of betrayal but that was clearly a nasty can of worms he had just opened. He didn't try to comfort her; this would probably make the whole situation worse.

"What makes the whole thing even worse is that I know the majority of the politicians working in our government. I went to school with a few of them and met others during or after the civil war, and the majority of them didn't do anything to stop him… ostriches, the whole lot of them!"

At that Shikaku snorted. "Troublesome… I have to admit I find that expression most fitting… and quite amusing... We have them here too… they are mostly part of the civilian council and annoyingly enough they are more often than not wealthy or have powerful friends and connections."

To that Midoriko just snorted. "Yeah… I didn't really think that I would escape that societal disease."

"You can put your mind at rest, their influence has been greatly diminished since Tsunade-sama has taken over and additionally to that you now belong to a ninja clan, they tend to avoid us most of the time." the Nara head reassured her dryly.

"Convenient," Midoriko answered in the same kind of voice, "I approve."

Shikaku watched her for a moment longer before he sighed and offered up something painful of his past, "My first wife Yoshino knew that the two of us would have an arranged marriage since she was ten. We got along reasonably well and while I knew we didn't love each other I hoped that affection or at least a friendship would develop with time… the moment she confirmed that she was pregnant with Shikamaru she moved out of the master bedroom and only had the minimal contact with me. After Shikamaru made Chunin she left for good, just as the contract stated… she never really gave me a chance."

Shikaku kept his voice flat, he had come to terms with these facts a long time ago and now watched his wife for reactions. Midoriko looked at him with penetrating green eyes while her eyes wandered over his face and lingered on his scars before they wandered slowly down his visible physique before shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well I'm your wife now, I will protect you from your evil ex-wife and anyone else of female disposition and should that idiot of a _Weasley_ ever find his way into Konoha I hope that I can count on you showing him the gate."

"Maybe with a few kunai flying behind him," Shikaku mused before turning serious. "Is there a chance that he could find you here?"

"Minimal but as stupid as he is, he unfortunately has some semi competent acquaintances."

"Hhm. Just to be clear, you are mine now. My teammates tell me I have this unfortunate habit of getting possessive about people I perceive as mine."

Midoriko's mouth twitched. "Right back at you. I won't tolerate any other female or male making advances on you."

Shikaku nodded. "Deal."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Shikaku POV**

The atmosphere became more relaxed again when their conversation wandered back to lighter topics. After finishing with breakfast Shikaku' eyes wandered to the kitchen clock and stretched a bit, he was certain that in the next hour or two the Nara branch heads would show up to meet the new clan matriarch. They hadn't discussed that per se but… well they were all Nara, some things just didn't have to be spoken out loud, just as they didn't have to discuss the clan leaving the main family alone for Midoriko-hime's arrival.

There was also the dowry… Shikaku really didn't want to look like a greedy asshole who asked after his wife's money the second they had consummated their marriage… but it was making him uncomfortable to know that Midoriko's dowry was somewhere in the luggage she had brought along. Sealed away or not, Shikaku knew that he would only relax once the gold was finally out of his house; so much wealth was just foolish to keep around.

"Shikaku?"

"Hhm?" he acknowledged lazily.

"Is there a schedule planned for today?" Midoriko asked curious while she moved the last dishes in the dishwasher and then carried the full tea pot over to the kitchen table.

"Unfortunately… well at least for me. I didn't expect you to agree to sign the marriage license right away so I have to go into work after lunch. You are free to explore the village, provided you take someone along with you…" the Nara Clan head explain while he watched her with lazy eyes.

He was prepared to field away her protests about a guide. Midoriko was new in Konoha and no matter how appealing he found her, until he and the Intelligence division were completely sure that she wasn't a spy she would be under observation. Additionally her exotic features could potentially trigger mistrust and ill will. Foreigners, especially with different features weren't trusted until they had lived in Konoha for a few years, and even then they normally would have to deal with lifelong suspicious glances and sometimes even blatant insults straight to their faces… not that Shikaku would let that happen to Midoriko.

To his relief she didn't protest. Instead Midoriko filled their cups with fresh tea before she nodded thoughtfully, "Who would I take along?"

"Possibly Shikamaru, he is free from mission work today as far as I'm aware… or maybe someone else from the clan." Shikaku suggested.

Midoriko looked curious at that "Am I going to meet them all today? In England it is custom to meet the whole family, even the extended one either during the wedding or at the reception."

Shikaku nodded at that "It's similar in the Elemental Countries; if you want we can hold a reception of a sort… if not… I'm expecting at least the branch heads to show up soon, everybody else would have introduced themselves to you in the coming weeks."

"Maybe not a reception… that's a very formal event, isn't it? Maybe something more relaxed like a Clan wide barbeque evening?" Midoriko asked carefully.

Shikaku could easily see that she was unsure how he would react to her suggestion but he had to admit that what she was proposing sounded better than what he would have come up with. So he nodded thoughtfully while his mind worked out the logistics of the event and who to trap… eh he meant entrust with those preparations. Maybe even give the Yamanakas and Akimichis an open invitation… hhm.

"It's a good idea, what do you thing about this weekend or the following? And would you mind non-clan members attending?" he tried to clarify.

A small smile stole itself on those enticing pink lips and she just her head in acquiescence before taking her last sip of her tea and saying, "This weekend is fine with me, let's get the introduction out of the way as soon as possible."

For a short moment there was silence before Midoriko spoke again, "Say Shikaku?"

"Hhm?"

"Would it be possible to convert an empty room into a study for me? I have brought my books and I haven't seen a library in the house."

Shikaku winced at that, "We had one… when Konoha was destroyed most of the books and scrolls were lost and while a few survived the invasion they are under heavy protection until we can figure out how to preserve them better and make copies."

Midoriko grimaced in sympathy, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Nodding Shikaku put his head to the side and then said, "Why don't you use the room beside the master bedroom? It was meant to be the matriarch's bedroom but with you sleeping in the master bedroom… well it's empty." he trailed off and then stood up from the table to move the empty tea cups and pot to the dishwasher.

Midoriko's eyes lit up before she leisurely stood up and tentatively kissed him on the cheek before ambling up the stairs, presumably to check out her new study. Stretching once more once she was out of sight Shikaku let his head roll back while he closed his eyes. With his stomach comfortably full and his brain lazily working on one work related problem or the other Shikaku seriously contemplated napping in his usual place in the courtyard. Though in the end he was too curious about what Midoriko would do with her new study to keep to his routine. He also wanted to know how her belongings were sealed away in those foreign seals.

After one last check around the kitchen he wandered up the stairs and peered curiously into the room he had pointed out to her.

**Midoriko POV**

Breakfast had been comfortable and informative. Midoriko had to admit that she had enjoyed herself for the first time in a long while. In the last few years intelligent conversation had been a rarity in her self-inflicted reclusion. It also clarified a few things over which she had panicked since before leaving Britain. There were still enough questions left unanswered but hey, this was just her first real day in Konoha and it wasn't even noon. Shikaku was clearly amendable to her questions and seemed more than accommodating to give her time to acclimatize herself so Midoriko wasn't too worried about finding information about etiquette and such right away.  
And while she really didn't appreciate being under watch for some time until they were sure of her, she understood their caution. It WAS a military dictatorship after all. Additionally it didn't sound so horrible to have Shikamaru as companion for her exploring. The time together would hopefully give her some insight on his true feelings about her. Her new stepson had seemed to have a neutral attitude to her yesterday and while she counted this as a good sign, she still wanted to make sure they were off to a good start.

With a gentle wave of wandless magic Midoriko activated the unlocking runes in the back of her wardrobe. There was an audible click and then the shrunken trunks and compartments that had been fixated to the insides of her wardrobe released and she could easily remove said containers and stack them on the bed. Thankfully Midoriko had the foresight to clearly mark them so that it was now easy to pick out the ones that contained books and furniture. While she picked those up her eyes landed on one of the trunks that contained her dowry.

Right, she still had to do give those to Shikaku, or whoever was responsible for Clan finances. Biting her lip Midoriko she left them on the bed to be picked up later, now that may have been foolish if she had been a muggle but as a witch of her caliber she wasn't very concerned about any kind of theft. After all nobody who wasn't magical would recognize them as shrunken down trunks and secondly each and every one of her containers had been covered with enough anti theft and returning runes that she would probably be able to summon her property from one end of the Elemental Countries to the other.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inside the former bedroom that would now serve as her study Midoriko leaned against one wall to get a feel for the room. It was nearly as big as the master bedroom and contained a single queen sized bed without mattress and covers and some new looking bedroom furniture. The room had probably never been used before.

Satisfied with what she had found the green eyed witch started to shrink down the furniture and moved them with a wave into the hallway, she wouldn't need them after all.

Once that was done Midoriko resized the trunks containing her own furniture. She had thankfully the foresight to stack the book shelves right on top of everything else and so it was easy to float them out of the magical space and place them along the walls around the room. With another absent hand wave she opened the book trunks and let her books sort themselves easily into the designated book shelves, she would sort them out later. For her desk she had to actually rummage a bit around, magical spaces weren't what you would call structured, other than what you put in first would land at the bottom and would then cost you some nerves to find again.

A few minutes into her work Midoriko noticed her new husband in the door frame; she had felt him approaching but hadn't paid him any attention until now. Shikaku sent her a lazy smile while he continued to watch her work and Midoriko was content to let him watch. Nothing in his body language or her well honed instincts were warning her about him and the sooner he got used to her abilities the lesser mishaps they would hopefully have.  
Not that she was actually fooling herself into believing that there wouldn't be mishaps. Shikaku was a paranoid ninja with over thirty years of combat experience while she had the infamous Potter Luck to deal with.

When he approached her once she was finished to place a lazy peck on her neck, Midoriko had to smile. There was nothing sexual in that gesture, just warmth. She hummed in approval before she tilting her head up and to the side.

"I like it that you are so affectionate." She told him quietly while she pulled both of his hands around her middle to clasp in front of her stomach.

Shikaku's lips quirked in amusement and he placed another kiss on her neckline, this time more to the right.

"Naras don't deny themselves their creature comforts if they don't have to; both me and my son are very tactile so consider this a fair warning."

This time Midoriko laughed a bit and leaned back until her back was completely pressed against Shikaku's front.

"I like touching Shikaku…" she assured him with a smile, "I like touching people that I trust… it just has been some time since I had regular tactile contact. I lived alone for most of the last ten years, so it could be that I have to get used to touching again and living in a close community."

"That's fine." Shikaku assured before gently biting down on the other side of Midoriko's neck.

His actions elicited a surprised gasp that turned into a hiccupping giggle and the green eyed witch could feel goose bumps run up her arms and neck.

"Interesting," He whispered amused into her ear and Midoriko elbowed him playfully into the chest before slipping out of his grasp.

Her eyes twinkled while she mock glared over her shoulder, "That was not nice."

Shikaku just grinned unrepentantly back at her, that cheeky bastard. Midoriko shook her head before she turned her attention back to the magic in the room. The books had finished sorting themselves and on the top shelves she saw the last boxes with foci settle.  
A flick of her fingers and the potion cabinet in one corner opened, none of the vials looked broken. Satisfied with her findings she closed the doors again and then turned her attention back to her husband who had wandered over to her book shelves and was leaving through a botanical book.

"What do you think?"

"Troublesome. That would have been an interesting read, I actually don't know half of the plants inside this book." Shikaku muttered when he looked up from the book that contained healing plants of her old dimension.

Midoriko bit her lip and contemplated for a second before offering, "If you want I can teach you my mother language, Shikaku."

"Hhm, maybe," Shikaku grunted, "learning a new language is such a drag."

Midoriko just snorted, before she playfully swiped at his arm, "Lazy." followed by a kiss to his cheek and a mischievous, "Maybe I can make it worth your while."

A slight twitch of his lips was the only thing Shikaku gave away, while he passed her the next book, "We will see… is there anything left that you want to finish, I'm sure we will have company soon."

Midoriko hummed thoughtfully before nodding "Let's get the dowry out of the way."

Shikaku's face became neutral and he simply nodded.

With a last scrutinizing gaze around the room Midoriko called the dowry chests into her new study before unshrinking them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Shikaku's POV**

Shikaku kept his surprise only barely off his face when ten small jewel-box sized containers floated into the room before resizing into nearly hip high chests. Another wave of Midoriko's hand opened them and this time his breath caught in his throat. They were clearly filled to the brim with gold, precious stones and the last three with expensive looking jewelry.

That was… damn… Shikaku took a deep breath while his mind calculated how much gold each of the chests contained. Even with Midoriko's cut taken away it would fill up the reserves of the Nara clan with ease. Hell they probably would be able to pay back the loans of the Fire Bank in the capital and everyone they owed, right in this moment.

He turned to Midoriko and said somewhat hoarsely, "You will have to decide what you want to keep before the rest is moved into the treasury, if you want something specific later on it will be a drag to get through all the anti theft measures for a necklace."

Midoriko stared for a moment before frowning confused then her eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly, "No Shikaku, I think you misunderstand, this IS my dowry. We agreed to forty percent of my liquid wealth in precious material and jewelry, everything else is still sealed."

Shikaku just nodded at this to convey his understanding though inwardly he had to swallow dryly a few times. When the lawyers told him she was wealthy and they had given him an estimate of her monetary wealth from what they had been aware of he had been more than satisfied, hell even with only half of what the lawyers calculated the Nara clan would have been mostly out of debt. But this was a lot more than he had ever dared to hope. Shikaku hadn't thought that she would double the current worth of the Nara clan finances alone with her dowry. With the war only having ended some months ago and the village still partially destroyed everyone in Konoha was short on cash and this dowry catapulted the Nara clan somewhere close to the Aburame's in wealth. And their clan was still two times as big as the Naras, even with all the causalities of the war. But before he could comment on anything else he felt some of his cousins chakra fluctuate as they approached the front door. It was a polite way of warning a fellow ninja of their intent to knock or enter a room, though that custom was used primarily by clan ninja and never in public places or apartment buildings, the shinobi population would go nuts otherwise.

Shikaku turned to Midoriko and said, "Some of my cousins are at the front door, might as well get it over with."

"Oh so the fluctuating in their energy is a sign of approach?" Midoriko asked curiously.

"You can feel them?" Shikaku asked interested, a natural sensor type?

"Yes, but only vaguely and I have to concentrate." Midoriko explained oblivious to her husband's thoughts.

"It is, but it is mostly used by clan ninja and never somewhere with a lot of ninja, it would be too much stimuli for everyone over basic ninja education."

His family had an impeccable timing today Shikaku thought dryly, not only would they meet his new wife but they could also take the money with them, one thing less that he had to take care of.

"Can you move the dowry downstairs? My cousins will take it with them when they leave."

Midoriko simply nodded at that and lifted her hands again while he moved down to the front door to greet his clan members.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Shikaku-sama," his second cousin Souma greeted him.

The slightly older shinobi was leaning lazily against the wooden awing at the front door. Behind him approached Shiro, Keisuke, Shizuka and Kaori, inclining their heads in greeting.

"Morning, come in," Shikaku acknowledged the heads of the branch families.

Since the war ended each of the branches had only about five to twelve members to their branch, it was a bittersweet thing, they had less work to do nowadays but none of them was happy with the change, they down to forty-six, with Midoriko forty-seven members. They had lost half of their fighting force during the fight with Madara, Obito and Kaguya; the Nara clan hadn't been this small since they had joined Konoha.

Thankfully unlike the other clans the Nara's didn't have to deal with disputes over the line of inheritance. The moment a Nara made Chunin or a civilian member turned seventeen they wrote their will, and even if there was a case of an unexpected death, their system was too straight forward to be able to misinterpret anything. So unlike some of the other clans that were now quarreling about who would receive what amount of money and which position the Nara had to simply deal with their grief. Additionally their laid back attitude and the intellect of the whole family prevented most of them from starting complex intrigues. There had been some cases of over ambitious Naras but those had been quickly curbed. No matter how careful you were, one family member or the other would always look through the plans and so most of them felt that politicking and manipulating wasn't worth the effort.

With a casual wave of his hand Shikaku invited the three men and two women into his living room, where Midoriko had already stacked up the dowry alongside the wall, she herself had vanished upstairs again for whatever reason.

To the unasked question Shikaku said, "Troublesome, can you take the dowry with you when you leave? I don't want to deal with it in my house more than I have to. Shizuka, I will leave the rest to you."

His first cousin Shizuka, who was only twenty six and had chosen a civilian live was a mathematical and economical genius, even for a Nara. She had started her own, still small branch only a few years ago after her brother Shiro's branch had become too big. Shizuka's branch consisted out of her husband, their two children, her youngest still unmarried brother and herself.  
Beside her own family accounts she and her team of civilians and retired shinobi also managed the finances and the portfolio of the Nara family. Nobody in the clan envied her for this duty because genius or not, it still was a lot of work no matter how you looked at it.

Said Nara woman just nodded while the twinkle in her eyes alerted every Nara in the room to the fact that she was already recalculating her plans for the next few years.  
Before anyone could say anything Midoriko came back down the stairs. Slightly taken aback that all eyes were suddenly on her, his new wife came to a stilted halt and smiled a bit unsure before wishing them a good morning. Shikaku noticed the leather bond journal in her hand but didn't give it more attention than a curious glance.

Keisuke, probably the loudest and most energetic Nara in the family, mumbled under his breath "Lucky bastard." in Shikaku's direction.

That broke the spell her appearance had triggered, Shizuka and the forty five year old Kaori rolled their eyes before moving over to the newest member of their clan. While they were still careful about forming an opinion about the new clan matriarch, Shikaku could clearly see that they were cautiously optimistic after the first introductions were over. This sentiment was only reinforced when they watched his interactions with the black haired civilian. Shikaku knew that the whole clan had been disgruntled and frustrated about the treatment he and Shikamaru had received from Yoshino. And while they had never said anything out loud the whole situation had left a bitter aftertaste in everyone's mouth.

After a short round of introductions and welcomes to Konoha, his fellow Nara members were already intent on leaving again. Which just suited Shikaku fine, socialization was well and good but no one of them liked to waste time that could be used for a quick doze before lunch.

"Oh wait, Shizuka-san… you are the one responsible for the Nara finances right?" Midoriko then called out before his cousins had reached the entrance.

Shizuka nodded curiously before she was grabbed by her new matriarch and pulled closer to the only chest that was decorated with a white crystal on top.

"Would you please put a drop of blood on the crystal?" Midoriko asked Shizuka.

Said Nara frowned for a second before asking "Why?"

"You won't be able to move the chests without being keyed into them." The black haired woman explained.

Behind them Shikaku was suddenly the center of attention of the other branch heads. With a lazy hand movement he signed 'Fuinjutsu master' in their direction while his eyes never left Midoriko's form. He watched as after a moment of contemplation Shizuka nicked her finger and let a drop of blood land on the pure white stone. Instead of running down the surface the red liquid was absorbed into it with a sudden white flare. Every Nara with the exception of Midoriko tensed at that, said woman hummed in satisfaction glancing down at the opened journal and showing Shizuka something written down on the first page. When the female Nara came closer to inspect the book his wife gestured at the row of chests.

"The chests have certain protections against theft and destruction and will return to the administrator if called… I made you the new main administrator, that's why your name is underlined. You have now the ability to key in additional people though they won't be able to call the chests, just move them or take out money." Midoriko explained, as if that was a daily occurrence… though maybe it truly was for her people.

"How do I do that? And are you sure I have the ability to call them, I'm a civilian my chakra capacity is that of an Academy student at best." the civilian Nara asked curiously.

"Another drop of blood from you makes the Runes receptive for other additions, though this time you have to put your blood on this oblong bar on the side. After that the other person has to give some blood for the main crystal… and no your chakra capacity doesn't have to do anything with your ability to call them."

Midoriko then watched with a beaming smile as the other branch members and Shikaku himself were all keyed into the chests.

"This weights a lot less than I thought?" Keisuke mumbled when he experimentally picked up the chest nearest to him.

"Featherweight Runes, the only reason why they are even this heavy is because some precious materials counter the effect of the Runes somewhat." Midoriko explained distracted, her eyes were on the white crystal that flashed golden for a second before returning to its former clear state.

"What was that?" Shikaku asked curious from behind her, his right hand had wandered unconsciously up to her enticing hipbone, he just couldn't help himself.

"It just means that the Rune Protections are now working at full capacity. Blood has a certain amount of power and with so many related people being keyed in it is even easier for the Runes to incorporate said power," Midoriko answered her husband before turning to Shizuka, "This is also the reason why you won't have any problems calling the chests. You only use a fraction of chakra to connect to the chest via your intend to call them, the rest of the energy comes from the chests themselves."

"So they need blood regularly to work?" Shiro tried to clarify.

"Not really," Midoriko said with a shake of her head before explaining, "It depends on what you do with the chests. Rune protections like the ones on the chests need a lot of initial power as well as some blood of the maker. Once the Runes have settled they siphon power from the world around it. Every living being gives of energy and that's what is sucked into the Rune array, it's enough to keep them working at a minimum of 70% without any maintenance for years, even decades. If you summon them to you after they were stolen or misplaced they need some maintenance to work properly at the next summoning, at least during the first thirty years of their use. Every time someone is keyed into the chests the blood and its power is circled directly into the array and strengthens and updates it. The longer it is in use and the more the process is repeated the stronger the protections grow… back in my home land there are chests that have been in family possession for centuries and no sane _Rune Master_ would ever try their hands on something like that, if protections like that are unleashed in an uncontrolled way they can easily level a city block or more." At the last part Midoriko shivered visibly.

After the most pressing questions were answered Shikaku's extended family finally left to leave them to their own devices. Only for them to be interrupted again when Shikaku felt his son's chakra signature and that of his teammates approach, Shikamaru's teammates had tagged along, just as he had predicted.

Before he could alert Midoriko, said woman lifted her head and quickly closed her eyes, "Is that Shikamaru?"

"Yes… and he is bringing his team over."

"Huh, interesting. They must be pretty close, if he wants me to meet them as soon as possible."

"Your team is your family." Shikaku said serious, "Especially an Akimichi-Yamanaka-Nara team."

Midoriko just nodded, Shikamaru's teammates were important to him, close to siblings.

"I will introduce you to my own team this evening." Shikaku stated while he led her down into the living room.

The Nara Clan Head was nearly ninety seven percent sure that Chouza would extend an invitation to both him and Inoichi, to introduce Midoriko to their wives and unlike the weeks beforehand, he wasn't dreading this event.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Midoriko POV**

Picking up on Shikamaru's signature had been a bit more of a challenge than Midoriko had expected. It was different than picking up the magical signature of wizards and witches, those didn't fell muted to her but at least the chakra signature felt similar enough that it registered to her senses. The black haired witch was ripped out of her thoughts when the door opened and three people came through the door.

"I'm home." Shikamaru drawled after he lazily removed his shoes and walked into the house.

Midoriko recognized a pretty blonde and a heavy set brunette only a few steps behind him.

"Welcome back, Shikamaru." Midoriko said while she came into the view of the Ino-Shika-Cho second generation team, good first impressions were important, no matter the culture.

Behind her Shikaku just grunted in acknowledgment of his son's greeting, the lazy bum.

Shikamaru just nodded in return, his lazy posture not betraying any of his emotions other than boredom and a sense of sleepiness. Not like the blonde girl behind him, her eyes widened and her mouth nearly dropped open in an undignified way. Midoriko had to bite her lip to not giggle at that, she looked dumbstruck for a second.

There was a moment of silence before the blonde exclaimed rushed "SHIKAMARU! You said she was pretty not that she looked like an exotic model!"

Shikamaru winced in clear pain. His blonde friend had shouted right beside his ear, grumbling under his breath he called her 'Troublesome woman' while he rubbed said ear and angled his body away to avoid any physical retaliation for that comment. Smart man.

Midoriko was a bit blindsided by that blurted out comment before she huffed in amusement and smiled at the young kunoichi, "Thank you for the compliment, my names is Midoriko. It is nice to meet you."

Said blonde blushed a bit; Midoriko knew that the kunoichi's outburst could be considered impolite by some though she certainly didn't mind. Midoriko knew that she was considered beautiful by European standards but that didn't have to mean that it was the same in the Elemental Countries. That she was now complimented by the Japanese equivalent of a bombshell was nice to know.

"My apologizes, Midoriko-hime. My name is Yamanaka Ino and this is Akimichi Chouji, we are Shikamaru's teammates. We wish to congratulate you and Shikaku-oji to your marriage." She said while she held the flowers up.

Midoriko's eyes brightened when she got a closer look at the wonderfully arranged bouquet, "It's a pleasure to meet you two and thank you. And you don't have to call me hime, Midoriko is fine… Shikaku told me that a team is like a family here so you all must be really close."

"Yes they are," Ino confirmed, before she sent a mischievous glance at her teammates and added, "Although they can be so annoying at times."

"Tze, troublesome woman, ditto." Shikamaru said, he had slumped against the living room couch and watched Midoriko interact with his teammate with a lazy eye.

"WHAT was that Shikamaru?" Ino asked with a scary smile.

"Troublesome." Was muttered, unfortunately for him it was just inside of Ino's earshot.

While Ino was occupied with giving Shikamaru a dressing down the other shinobi, Chouji shyly introduced himself to Midoriko. The black haired witch instantly liked the tall and clearly muscular if slightly pudgy young man. He looked like a genuinely friendly person and with his warm eyes and slightly shy nature he reminded her a lot of Neville, Chouji was like a little bit less awkward shinobi version of the Longbottom Family Head.

The four ninja sat down around the living room area while Midoriko took care of the beautiful flowers and situated them on the small side table in the living room before joining Shikaku on the smaller of the couches.

"Ano, Shikaku-oji when are you going to introduce Midoriko-san to our parents? Kaa-chan and Emiko-oba can't wait!" the energetic blonde asked the oldest shinobi in the room.

That sounded more like a threat than an invitation, not that Midoriko would voice her apprehensiveness in front of the younger shinobi. They may be Shikamaru's teammates but they weren't her husband and stepson and so Midoriko would wait to form opinions about them before trusting them with anything important.

"Probably this evening Ino." Shikaku smiled benignly while he casually as you please put his arm around Midoriko's waist. The black haired witch could hear the indulgent smile in his voice while he talked to the young blonde woman he had probably watched her growing up, "I have work in the afternoon."

"Right, I remember. Ibiki-taicho was grumbling about some meeting of a kind yesterday… and what will you do, Midoriko-san?"

"I don't have any concrete plans yet. Maybe exploring the village a bit and get a feeling of the shops and merchants, Ino-chan… do you mind me calling you Ino-chan?" Midoriko answered before trying to fix her faux-pas, the suffix had just slipped, too many shojo mangas.

But instead of affront, Ino's eyes started to shine in unholy glee while both Chouji and Shikamaru looked horror struck for whatever reason, "Ino-chan is just fine! Would you mind if we showed you around?"

Uh oh Midoriko knew the signs of a shopaholic, there was only one right answer to that.

"Not at all Ino-chan. Shikaku-san wanted me to take a guide along with me anyway."

"Great! I need a few new things anyway. The boys and I will accompany you!" came the predictable answer from the blonde.

Midoriko wasn't too surprised that the girl was apparently a power shopper. She herself wasn't that obsessed with shopping but a few memorable occasions with Ginny, Tonks and surprisingly Luna had her more than prepared for that kind of personality.

"What the hell do you need now? Don't you already have a closet bursting with things?" Shikamaru nearly whined from his position slumped on the living room couch, he clearly had no desire to accompany them on a shopping expedition.

"Shikamaru," Ino said patronizing, hands on her hips, "Really by now you should know that a girl has never too much clothes."

"I'm sorry to say Shikamaru-kun but Ino-chan is right." Midoriko added with a sly smirk into his direction, "But don't worry, nobody is going to force you and Chouji-kun into the shops… why don't you show me around Konoha for a while before Ino-chan and I start to buy things."

There was something funny about how both Chouji and Shikamaru sighed out in relief while Shikaku just smirked at them from his place, he was probably just glad that he had dodged the shopping expedition as a whole.

"Are you sure? Who is going to carry our bags if not those two?" Ino said mock concerned, her eyes where twinkling with mischief.

"Don't worry about that, we can seal them away if they get too heavy." Midoriko laughed.

The expressions of her stepson and his male teammate of utter despair were priceless.

"Sealing?" Ino now asked curious.

There was a certain sharpness behind her eyes that gave Midoriko heads up that while Ino certainly took advantage of her beauty it wasn't everything the blonde had going for herself. There was a razor sharp mind working behind those pretty blue eyes.

"Midoriko is a Fuinjutsu Master… or well the equivalent in her culture." Shikaku answered calmly from beside Midoriko.

"But I thought you were a civilian." Ino asked clearly confused.

"I am. You have to understand that I come from a completely different culture. While the Elemental countries use chakra mostly as offensive or defensive force my culture mixes spiritual and physical force differently and uses it mainly for our civilian jobs. There is some basic self defense in the curriculum during schooling but only when you have finished that education with seventeen or eighteen and you go into law enforcement specifically you receive further education for combat."

Midoriko hoped that would be enough for the blonde kunoichi, she was already toeing the line and she really didn't want to know what would happen if she broke the statue of secrecy. But the blonde simply nodded at her explanation before changing the topic back to their shopping trip. The more Ino talked the more worried the witch became, maybe she had underestimated the abilities of a hardcore ninja shopper.

"Ino-chan, please! I don't think I will be able to visit all those shops today. I would be dead on my feet a few hours into our shopping expedition." She tried to temper the young woman in front of her.

"… oh." Came a somewhat sheepish response from the kunoichi, while Shikamaru simply snorted beside her.

"You clearly know what you are talking about. Let's make a deal, we will see how much we get done today and we can work through the rest of the shops some other time. With an expert like you I don't think I will have any problems finding appropriate things to wear."

Ino beamed at her, her smile split her face into half and she practically vibrated with chakra, "And next time we can drag along my kaa-chan and Forehead girl, so that we have more opinions!"

Midoriko huffed amused, "Forehead girl?"

"Haruno Sakura. My friend, turned rival, turned fellow kickass kunoichi."

Beside her Chouji just smiled slightly while Shikamaru clearly rolled his eyes in exasperation.

**Ino POV**

Ino had to admit the more she talked to Shikaku's new wife the more she liked what she saw. At first glance Midoriko-hime had looked like a good match for Shikaku's personality and maybe a bit too calm for her own tastes. Though the more she talked with the civilian it became clear that civilian or not, this woman clearly wouldn't let herself be walked over without any protest.

And while Ino still wasn't sure if the foreign princess would be able to assert herself against the more forceful personalities around Konoha, Midoriko clearly wasn't some delicate flower that would wilt at the first moment of adversity. The way she had diplomatically redirected her purposeful over eagerness had been so smooth it had taken Ino a second to understand what Midoriko had done. Most people she knew would have simply tried to stop Ino, scared of the kind of expedition she was planning and inadvertently snubbing Ino in one form or another. The black haired civilian had simply directed her energy and ideas into a format with which she could easily keep up with. If she could use that talent when dealing with the other clans or civilian dignitaries she would be someone to watch out.

Ino's eyes wandered to the arm around the black haired woman in front of her. She grinned; it also looked like Shikaku-oji was already pretty possessive, not surprisingly if they got along as well as their behavior suggested. Body language had always been easy for her to read. Not that Nara Shikaku was an easy read; her uncle had never been especially expressive and more often than not avoided the mushy stuff, but Ino knew that he had a soft and vulnerable side that was only noticeable to those he held dear.

When Ino and the boys were little he had always been the first one out of their fathers' who would give into her demands of physical affection or some other form of entertainment. It was Shikaku-oji that had initially helped her with learning how to climb trees and scale buildings. Her father had been occupied by the Kumo mess and Chouza-oji had taken Chouji to Kishi, the second biggest port in Fire Country and the city from which the Akimichi clan originated and still had ties to. Shikaku had had a bit more time thanks to him being a strategist that could take his work home and so Ino had spent a lot of time with Shikaku and Shikamaru in the Nara forest. While Shikamaru had spent most of that time napping in the shade and ignoring her, Shikaku-oji had always been infinite patient and gentle with her even if he was often overwhelmed by her exuberance.

Coming out of her fond memories Ino then turned the topic to Midoriko's fashion style and successfully occupied the civilian while Shikaku took Shikamaru and Chouji into the kitchen where they could hide as long as the girls discussed clothes.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Shikamaru POV**

"Ino and Midoriko are getting on better than I would have thought." The younger Nara said once they were out of earshot, Chouji and his father just grunted at Shikamaru's observation.

The Nara heir slowly let his eyes wander over the room in contemplation, he had thought that two so different personalities would clash and lead to at least a few uncomfortable situations until the two women had gotten used to each other. That had actually been the first of some tests Shikamaru had planned for his new stepmother. He didn't mean those to be malicious but well… he was a ninja and while Midoriko had made a positive impression he wanted some assurances that she would be a good fit for his father and the clan.

That Midoriko had taken the loud and slightly obnoxious blonde in stride and seemed to know how to handle her blunt demeanor was a pleasant surprise. He knew from experience with nobility on missions that there was an expectation of demure and restrained behavior from women, even kunoichi and Ino… well she was the exact opposite of demure and quiet.

In turn Ino seemed to find Midoriko's calm nature acceptable. Shikamaru had already feared that his blonde teammate would find Midoriko too bland, too weak like she had Chouji in the beginning. So either Ino had become a lot more even tempered in the last few years than he had dared to hope or something magical had happened between the two… they were both female so Shikamaru didn't exclude that possibility right out of hand, women could be unpredictable at the strangest moments.

"Hhm, I think Midoriko-san will get along with mum and Shizuka-obasan." Chouji said happily before he opened another packet with chips.

Shikamaru couldn't help but agree, both Shizuka-obasan and Emiko-obasan were a lot more restrained than Ino, at the very least they should be able to tolerate each other. Thankfully.

A passing glance at the clock showed that it was five minutes after eleven and they were slowly approaching lunch. His father would have to be at the office at one pm and so Shikamaru wasn't surprised when Shikaku stood up from his comfortable sprawl over the kitchen chair and said, "Let's go out for an early lunch."

"Great!" Chouji instantly agreed while he practically jumped up to move the group along.

Shikamaru just rolled his eyes good naturedly and let himself be dragged out of his own chair by the enthusiastic Akimichi. They rejoined Ino and Midoriko in the living room to inform them of their plan. His new stepmother made a quick trip upstairs to retrieve her purse and on Ino's recommendation a light jacket that would protect her shoulders and upper arms from the strong sun rays. To his father's discreet question if she needed money she just shook her head and assured him that she had converted enough back in her homeland to last her for a while.

XXXXXXXXXXX

While walking through the streets all four ninja were unsurprised by the many glances that were following Midoriko. More than one civilian man stopped to get a better look at his father's exotic looking wife and even a few females were staring rather blatantly with jealousy or lust. To the amusement of his team and father their ninja colleagues were only a tad subtler. Unfortunately the attention was not wholly positive, a few of the villagers sent Midoriko distrustful glances or sneered in her direction. None of them approached thankfully, though that was almost certainly because she was encircled by a group of ninja. Shikamaru made a mental note to keep an eye on that situation, hate against foreigners was unfortunately not that uncommon in Konoha.

What was also interesting was his new stepmother's reaction or better her non-reaction. Midoriko kept an eye on the miens of the villagers for a while before she apparently dismissed them as a harmless. Not even the distrustful glances and glares seemed to bother her, though she kept those people always in her sight until they were past them. Filing the information away for later Shikamaru turned his attention back to more important topics, like the new shogi move that he was contemplation, there had to be a way to counter his father's infamous protection line.

**Midoriko POV**

Midoriko was once again thankful that she had subjected herself to the intense instructions of her dragon of an etiquette teacher, the woman had made her practice with chopsticks again and again until she used them like a native and was well aware of what certain grips and motions with them could imply. Konoha didn't seem to have any cutlery in their restaurants at all and if she had learned only after she had arrived in the Elemental Countries Midoriko would have hopelessly embarrassed herself and her new clan in public.

Apart from that realization lunch was excellent and the company quite enjoyable. She mostly listened to Ino who not only turned out to be an excellent resource of gossip and general knowledge about Konoha but also gave surprisingly good advice on the different dishes on the menu. She was supported in her task to educate Midoriko about the local dishes by Chouji, who was very knowledgeable about all the different preparation techniques. The food and especially the spices, while still foreign to her, were tasty and the green eyed witch enjoyed her vegetable- fish dish with a side of sea weed soup very much.

Throughout the meal she also confirmed what she already suspected, neither Shikaku nor Shikamaru were big talkers when in a group. She couldn't say yet if that was good or bad habit but Midoriko had learned to appreciate a calm atmosphere after her Hogwarts time and the thought of having relaxed meals in comfortable silence or with only sporadic conversation brought a small smile to her lips. She was also quite certain that with Ino around silence during meals probably wouldn't happen very often.

After lunch, for which Shikaku paid, her husband left them to go to work. Midoriko used the short moment in which Ino listed off the places she wanted Midoriko to see to a politely listening Chouji and a supremely disinterested Shikamaru to give Shikaku a quick but affectionate peck on the cheek. Shikaku quirked the left corner of his lips up and one of his hands pressed for a moment against the small of her back before he turned and ambled off a side street.

For a short moment longer Midoriko's eyes lingered at her husband's backside before she turned around to face the suspiciously quiet ninja. All three were looking at her with various expressions of amusement and the green eyed witch had to suppress a blush. While she wasn't particularly embarrassed that she had so blatantly checked out Shikaku, she felt a bit uncomfortable about the fact that she had done it in front of his son and Chouji and Ino who easily qualified as Shikaku's nephew and niece.

She cleared her throat and asked, "So, where are we going first?"

XXXXXXXX

For the next hour Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji showed Midoriko around the slowly recovering Konoha… most of the buildings were only half finished or in the last stages of constructions and Midoriko got the feeling that the shinobi were more concerned with her learning the layout of the village than actual historical sites or buildings that would be important to her daily routines. Not that she had a problem with that.

They walked along one of the newly built side streets before they crossed into the main street she had seen when she had arrived in Konoha the day before. It was the biggest street in sight and led directly from the front gates to about the middle of the village. There it abruptly ended and was replaced with a network of streets that stretched to the mountain face and looked more like a labyrinth than anything else.

"I'm going to be hopelessly lost the first few times I want to run an errand." Midoriko absentmindedly murmured while she stared at the jungle of buildings and dead ends.

Beside her Shikamaru's lips twitched in amusement and he hummed thoughtfully, "Probably." when Midoriko looked at him he shrugged his shoulders, "We are ninja, Konoha is built like that on purpose, it will slow down any attacking force and there are enough nooks and crannies to make it very hard for invaders to find our infrastructure buildings, besides the obvious ones visible from the gate."

"Or ninja." Chouji piped up beside him, opening up another bag of potato chips.

"Or ninja." Shikamaru agreed amused.

They led her through seven streets until they arrived at the foot of the biggest and highest building that had somehow survived the destruction of Konoha.

"That's the Hokage Tower." Ino said cheerfully, "Our Godaime has her office in the highest room and the round buildings on both sides contain the Academy and a part of our bureaucratic structure."

Midoriko nodded thoughtfully while she watched as a steady stream of traffic flowed in and out of the building. From above it probably looked like a Mickey Mouse head she thought idly, slightly amused by the thought of such an important military building having the shape of the Disney logo.

When they continued the tour Ino and Chouji started to explain more about the beginning of Konoha and its development since then. It astonished Midoriko that the village was only around 60 years old when she was used to buildings and historical sites to be at least a few hundred years old, Hogwarts was after all a bit over a thousand years old and the records of magic users in general went back another five thousand years, at least.

When they finally crossed back onto the main street Midoriko had a new appreciation for that fact that she had grown up in peaceful times, the Warring Times era of the Elemental Countries didn't sound like a time period she wanted to be born in. but before she could voice anything along that line of thought she was distracted by her surroundings.

The colorful mix of newly built shops, eateries and apartments on both sides of the main street caught Midoriko's attention; it looked like every shop had a specialty unlike back home where you could get most what you needed in one shop. She was going to have fun exploring all of them in her free time. The Nara main house she now lived in had only the bare basics and what looked like recreations of furniture heirlooms that probably had been in the family for generations before they were destroyed. Midoriko felt for her new family, to have their home but most importantly those heirlooms that remained of the generations that came before them destroyed had to be devastating.

"You can't see it yet but there will be seven main streets connected through four ring streets to section the village into districts in the first half of Konoha. Just like a cut in half spider net." Ino explained.

Shikamaru murmured in agreement before sighing, "But that will take at least another a year to complete them. Even with all the Earth Jutsu users working around the clock to raise the ground level back to normal."

"Where do they take the earth from for that?" Midoriko asked curiously.

"At the moment mostly from the emergency paths that are built under Konoha… you will be showed those at the annual evacuation exercise in two months. We couldn't do it last year because most of the village was destroyed and we were at war but this year it should be right on schedule." Chouji answered this time, a proud smile played around his lips.

"Chou is part of the volunteer team that helps building them when we are not on missions outside the gate." Ino added with a smile at her teammate.


End file.
